Free damaged 535W panels

[Doing it for the kids]

Ah, that would follow, I seem to recall we had 82,000 which tallies with your sums.

Pikies broke in to ours a few years back. They took a whole load down, stacked them neatly then we caught them with the thermal. They tried to claim they were a maintenance team!

 

[rogeriko]

Cracked panels only work full power when pointed directly at the sun. when the sun moves the cracks stop the radiation going to the cells, it blocks some of the light. I have tried this before many times. connect the 2 wires together with an ammeter and measure the dc short circuit current, It will be considerably less than it should be, about 1/10th. Epoxy and sealants wont last long. Oxygen has already reached the silicone cells that are bonded to the glass so the degradation has already started. There are hundreds of cracked panels on Ebay. Not worth bothering with.

 

[renewablejohn]

Depends on size but make excellent triple glaze units and with argon filled oxidisation problem is removed. Make the company an offer that you will dispose of them if they pay you 10 pound a panel. It may cost them far more than that to transport and dispose of them officially.

 

[Exfarmer]

years ago I bought an old scrap irrigator with a small panel on which had been smashed. The whole thing had not been used for years. The panel powered a small computer screen and to my amazement the panel though completely crazed was sufficient to power the computer. I don't think it had seen any use for at least 5 years before I purchased it.
I also ma aware that we have roof array with one panel which is totally crazed, despite this we are unaware that the output is affected in any noticeable amount.

I would be wary of mounting them on a roof , if one panel did totally fail it may take the whole string out and if may be difficult to replace without stripping a lot of the roof.
Be wary of using any material to cover the panel, most resins etc will container sun screens to prevent discolouration over the years, obviously not good!
Secondly if they do not have sun screen they may discolour and restrict some of the light.
if the panels have lost resistance, this will show up when they get wet. most of the latest inverters have cut outs if resistance falls below quite high levels today. My new Fronius inverters require a minimum R of 100K ohms
The older ones are set at 30K ohms
If it was me I would grab them!

 

[Kentishfarmer]

Can you still feed into the grid with second hand panels and no certified installation?

 

[Timbo]

Can you still feed into the grid with second hand panels and no certified installation?

Thats a very good question. Unlikely i'd say.

 

[Exfarmer]

Can you still feed into the grid with second hand panels and no certified installation?

Provided you have a G99 i do not believe there is any issue.
They wont of course issue this with out satisfying them selves on the set up.

 

[Kentishfarmer]

Anyone have any experience of installing/using 2nd hand panels?
I fell down a youtube rabbit hole yesterday of DIY solar and 2nd hand panels seem like a really good idea, roof space isn't a limiting factor for most of us so it doesn't seem to matter if they are less efficient, but seem to be a fraction of the price per KW if you can get them

 

[MrNoo]

Anyone have any experience of installing/using 2nd hand panels?
I fell down a youtube rabbit hole yesterday of DIY solar and 2nd hand panels seem like a really good idea, roof space isn't a limiting factor for most of us so it doesn't seem to matter if they are less efficient, but seem to be a fraction of the price per KW if you can get them

Not yet but I will have eventually!! A lot of differing views but they still produce more than the spec voltage. Like you, got loads of roof space and a new build grain shed eventually. Hell even If I have to replace a few it's not going to break the bank. I think we'll just bang some up on the light industrial units for now, then use the bulk of the panels on the new shed and see using it, be nice to run the house off them!

 

[Exfarmer]

Anyone have any experience of installing/using 2nd hand panels?
I fell down a youtube rabbit hole yesterday of DIY solar and 2nd hand panels seem like a really good idea, roof space isn't a limiting factor for most of us so it doesn't seem to matter if they are less efficient, but seem to be a fraction of the price per KW if you can get them

As i said before, you should think carefdully before placing them on high buildings which require scaffold . Ground mount or low rise is probably best. Also beware of large areas unless there is access between strings. Having arrays 20 X 20 panels and one fails in the middle was not the best of ideas
you will probably need new mounting rails unless the roof they came off is the same material

 

[Mr Gus]

Mr Noo, how wide are the cracks? have you investigated captain tolley's? (liquid crack filler)

Also, the protective film used for car paint protection is pretty strong, hair dryer applied (mentioned this elsewhere today, I know it's a year later than your original post...but likely you still have some I would guess.

 

[MrNoo]

They are just hairline cracks, I coated them with a thin layer of decent quality epoxy, but it's now peeling off. I epoxied 6 panels and left the rest (14) as they were. They work well and if any go down I have another 20 spare.
I looked into protective film but it was very expensive and would have been cheaper to get some glass cut!

 

[Mr Gus]

Ah, understood the differences between countries & greedy distributors of a cheap product.

Do check out tolley's as a possible, I have used it on my 450 smart cars amongst other things, whilst I have yet to see it used with scientific clarity (video) for this application I would say that it is a worthwhile gamble to try out, it's a classic product I was introduced to a few years back now & it's a good allrounder for almost anything hairline, extensively used in the RV & chandlery trade.

I'd love that amount to fall into my lap, if it's worth storing it's worth fixing.
The pics shown didn't look like they were too bad, worthy of resurrection, wish I was closer to bring you a bottle over & demonstrate it.