Solar Panels for Home Use

[BitterDan]

Hey guys, a friend on another forum is setting up solar panels at his house and he asked this question there. Since those folks don't really know much about alternative energy I figured I'd run his question by you.

"I am currently looking at installing a 5KW solar panel system on my home, and was wondering if anyone here has done or investigated going this route with their homes?

In particular, the information I have not been able to find is how long is the expected life of installed solar panels? How do they hold up to weather, or anything striking them (hail, branches from a wind storm etc...)"

[Tiahaar]

Hey BD, (wait...that's a Doonesbury character isn't it...heheh) as a member of last year's solar build crew for the man I can tell your friend it all depends on what kind of panels he's going to use. Those panels were tempered-glass-topped Shott panels rated for hail and high wind, but one managed to shatter itself from an internal short that produced a hot-spot. Uni-Solar makes some panels that are amorphous (non crystaline) and unbreakable and in fact can be bought in rolls made to stick to the valleys of a metal roof. They are good for 20 years according to the manuf. The big commercial panels that just drop into a uni-rack and lock down are sweet and straightforward to install. I would not want to go for more than $5 a watt (with rebates and such maybe less even), still its a pricy purchase. Then there's the battery bank and inverter systems if you truly want to be off the grid...

[BitterDan]

Thanks Tiahaar, I'll pass the info along.