If you’ve chosen to have solar panels installed for your home in St. Louis Park, you’ve made a sizable investment in your home. Considering this, it’s no wonder that solar panel owners are usually concerned about the lifespan of their solar panel system. Solar panels don’t last forever. But, by taking great care of the panels, you can ensure that your home’s solar system is as efficient as possible for as long as possible.
Let’s go over some strategies that St. Louis Park solar panel owners can implement to extend the longevity of their solar panel systems. With proper maintenance, your household will get as much energy as possible out of your solar panels.
How Long Do Solar Panels Last?
Solar experts maintain the solar panels last for about 25 to 30 years. This is the typical period that you can expect to wait before replacing the panels. However, after 30 years, your solar panels will, assuming that serious damage hasn’t occurred, still work. Significant degradation will simply have set in at this point, meaning that your solar panels won’t be operating at the same efficiency as when they were new.
Degradation in solar panels is a gradual loss in power output. Ideally, degradation won’t be a large detriment to the performance of your solar panel system. But, typically, solar panels degrade between 0.5% and 3% each year. So, after a few decades, your solar panels won’t be producing as much power in the same amount of sunlight.
What Causes Solar Panel Degradation?
Unfortunately, solar panel degradation is inescapable. Since solar panels are installed on your roof, they’re exposed to all of the elements here in St. Louis Park. Whether it be the sun’s harsh UV rays or heavy snowfall, the weather will gradually take a toll on your solar panels, leading the degradation. That said, degradation rates vary depending on the caliber of the solar panels. Higher quality solar panels degrade less than their lower-grade counterparts. The solar panel’s degradation rate is reflected in the performance warranty provided by the manufacturer.
How To Protect The Longevity of Your Solar Panels
So, with the impact of degradation in mind, what can you do to prolong the lifespan of your solar panels? Here are our top tips for keeping your solar panels in great shape for many years to come.
Don’t Avoid Repairs If Solar Panel Damage Occurs.
Solar panels don’t often get damaged, given that they’re built for exceptional durability. However, your solar panels do incur damage, make sure to have them checked out by a professional promptly. By having the damaged panels repaired as soon as possible, you can prevent more severe problems to your solar panel system. Putting off solar panel repairs could force you to replace your solar panels before the end of their expected lifespan.
Keep Trees In Check.
Trees on your property can pose a big risk of damage to your solar panels. Any trees that hang over your roof can lead to falling debris and even entire branches. A fallen branch can cause serious damage to your solar panels and may put your entire solar panel system out of commission. Additionally, leaves and pine needles that fall onto your solar panels from overhanging branches will need to be cleaned off to ensure that your solar system operates as efficiently as possible. To keep maintenance to a minimum and protect your solar panels against the risk of falling branches, follow these tips:
Strategically Place Your Solar Panels
If there are many trees on your property, you’ll benefit from having your solar panels installed with the location of these trees in mind. Not only will this keep the panels out of the shade for maximum sunlight, but it will also reduce the risk of tree-related solar panel damage.
Remove Low-Hanging Branches
Low-hanging branches are a risk to both your solar panels and your entire roof. So, make sure to remove low-hanging branches regularly and trim back other branches that hang over your roof. Keeping tree limbs in check will reduce the risk of damage to your solar panel system.
Choose A Reliable Solar Installer.
Our final tip is to work with a St. Louis Park solar panel installer that you can trust. With great solar panel services from the very start, your solar system will be prepped to last for a long time.
