Flex Solar Panels turning cloudy

[Hickers]

My 3 130 watt flex panels went cloudy then after polishing them they died with hot spots evident in all three. They were mounted on a rigid fiberglass Bimini top.

Although they were only 14 months old the supplier camp sales Australia based in Sydney refused to replace them.

I now have 2 x 345 watt sunpower rigid panels that deliver 50 amps in full summer sunshine.

[kryg]

From the photos it seems like you did not remove the protective film and it now is baked on, the film is slowly disintegrating. If this is the case, not to worry your solar panel are fine, however it is most impossible to remove the protective film once it has hardened on to the solar panels.

Originally Posted by Caliber40

All....my 2 year old flex solar panels are turning cloudy (almost milky) 2 x 100 w

The supplier (Ferris Ind) says this will not effect performance .

Best I can see I'm getting approx 5.5 A on a pretty sunny day (no shadows) at 11:00 AM EDT.

Anybody have any thoughts?

FYI I'm using flex on top of Bimini due to space limitations.

See attachedAttachment 153214Attachment 153215

[Caliber40]

Thanks All!

I have a received a few good suggestions .

1. Panels were installed per suppliers recommendations so I don't think that's an issue.
2. Panels show extreme cloudiness as well as what looks like some coating delamination....pictures do not show condition real well!

3. Hooked up properly in paralell....agree 5A output is low....suggestions to check connections are good ones.

4 . If hooked up properly and no bad connections will probably replace and either cover up during non cruising season or remove all together. We cruise 6 months of year.

[softdown]

Flex panels may be the future. They are not the present. They are not highly thought of in the solar community. Longevity and output are the issues.

Rigid panels can last 40 years. Consider some used ones if budget is a concern.

[john61ct]

There are situations where they're necessary.

Just budget for them only lasting 2-3 years, still lots cheaper than anything a decade ago.

I was using solar in outback Australia in the 1980's, worth their weight in gold then. But gold was cheap, mining town 8-)

[puffcard]

I got two Grape flex 100watt, they also fogged up. The manufacturer says to try baking soda, it worked for a little while. I bought a another pair with the ETFE coating, looks much better we'll see. Someone can get a good deal on a couple of two year old flex panels, if you want to play around with them.

[Sailsgood]

Originally Posted by john61ct

Yes, theoretical STC ratings are simply to allow objective comparisons between panels.

No one should​ believe that they will produce close to that, even in "peak" real-world conditions (at noon in **cold** clear bright weather **at the equator** angled perpendicular to the sun).

And yes, panels are now a commodity item, only the wealthy should​ spend lots extra for better quality.

That's true, the flash test is made on STC Standard:
The electric output performance of crystalline silicon and thin film PV modules are generally measured under standard test conditions (STC), ensuring a relatively independent comparison and output evaluation of different solar PV modules.
STC is an industry-wide standard to indicate the performance of PV modules and specifies a cell temperature of 25°C and an irradiance of 1000 W/m2 with an air mass 1.5 (AM1.5) spectrum. These correspond to the irradiance and spectrum of sunlight incident on a clear day upon a sun-facing 37°-tilted surface with the sun at an angle of 41.81° above the horizon.


Please note that at each 1-degree increase, there is a decrease in power output that is typically about 0.5% plus almost all commercial panels have a +/- 5% tolerance on power, more usually we Nautical we install them horizontally (with big leaks) and finally these panels are made in PET which have a dispersion due to very high reflection and you have as a result those data.



Regarding those damage to the panel are the usual PET products (ETFE products do not have that problem) only acid rain breaks up the first layers creating a delamination.

I have been installing civilian photovoltaic for years and standard panels have the same problems. Photovoltaic manufacturers should change the test mode to be more honest.

[Caliber40]

UseFlex panels due to space restrictions.....I already have hard panels....mounted on the rails.

Thanks