Lifetime of a photovoltaic system. Can it be extended?

A photovoltaic system is a large investment that must be profitable over many years. This situation occurs only when serious breakdowns are avoided. What is the actual useful life of a photovoltaic system?

Photovoltaic in Poland has gained immense popularity. In October 2022, the installed photovoltaic power in our country was almost 11.5 GW, or more than 71 percent. more than in the same period of 2021. A large part of the photovoltaics operating in Poland are micro-plants in which private investors invest.

In case of photovoltaic systems the most important criterion accompanying the investment is generally clear. It’s about profitability. This, in turn, is closely related to the lifetime of the PV system. Very often we talk about the durability of the panels, but this is not always the right approach.

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PV module manufacturers often offer a 25-year guarantee on the power generated by photovoltaic modules. The statements concern the fact that after this period the panels will operate on at least 80 percent. catalog power. Since then, the manufacturer is no longer responsible for the power losses, which will lead to less and less profitability of the use of PV from year to year.

– In the case of good quality devices, however, the power drops are negligible – notes Szymon Osłowski from KOBO Energy. – The largest decrease in power occurs in the first year of operation, but is no more than 1 percent. In subsequent years, productivity decreases by only about 0.4-0.5%. per year, to be exact.

In addition to the PV modules, the lifetime of the installation is determined by the inverter. This usually has a guarantee of no more than ten years. It should therefore be assumed that after this period you should prepare for further investment in photovoltaic.

Lifetime of a photovoltaic system can be extended to avoid breakdowns. To do this, it is necessary to carry out periodic inspections of the entire plant. Such a review should be done at least once every five years, sometimes warranties from manufacturers or installers require more frequent visits by service technicians. Looking at the devices in terms of the correctness of the connections, the correct contact between the elements in the switchboards or the quality of the switchboards themselves allows us to prevent breakdowns.

However, not only specialists can monitor installations. Their owners can also do this by checking the parameters of the systems and noting any deviations from the standards. For this, however, the data of the inverter and the bidirectional counter must be systematically checked.