Wednesday 24 August 2011

More mind-numbing numbers about solar panels

I was thinking of using all the bits of paper we've received somewhere in the house. They could wall paper most of it... Probably two layers in some places.

Of course some of the information has come electronically.

One of the more interesting files has a list of the power ratings for each panel. Although they are nominally rated at 190 Watts each, the test results for each panel all come over 190, and average 195. So while the array is rated at 9.12 kW, it's actually 9.36. All extra kilowatts over their lifetime. The panels are guaranteed for 25 years. More specifically, at 95% for 5 years, 90% for 12 years, 85% for 18 years and 80% for 25 years, so I guess their lifetime will pretty much correspond to the rest of my lifetime. Anything we get out of them (or me) after another quarter century is going to be a bonus. Unless something drastic happens, the panels will still be there producing electricity long after I've stopped consuming it.