Solar experts

[helomech]

Someone near me is selling all these panels for 2500 bucks OBO. She knows nothing about them, they where there when she bought the property. Do yall think they are worth looking at? If so what should I look for? I can test voltage and look for cracks. I think I count over 46 panels total. If so that is less than 55 bucks a panel. She does not have any batteries, or inverters. Only the panels.

[bacpacker]

I am no Solar expert!

I would say that you should check the voltage and hook a low battery to them and measure what the current reading is. Look for a label for the model#, Wattage rating (Voltage*Current=Wattage).

Also look for cracking/crazing in the panel, maybe even severe discoloration. I would think that would impede charging. That's about all I could think of right off. If they output looks good, I think it sounds like one hell of a deal.

[Domeguy]

I agree with Bacpacker 100%. Look for the things he said. Also look for wire short outs, wire rubbing, or wire disintegration. Find out how old they are, should be on the panel label. Panels loose between 1/4 - 1/2 % efficiency each year due to aging. But with all that said, if you don't want them, I will come tomorrow from Tennessee to get them if I can.

[Sniper-T]

grab some windex and clean a couple, tough to see anything like that. How log has she lived there? Does she know the previous owners?
check the wires, make sure they aren't cracked broken between panels/inside.

[Domeguy]

Also a big thing to find out is how much power the panels are. It's a great deal if they are 100+watt panels, not so good if they are 40 watt panels.

[realist]

Hey my nephew used to clean solar cells for a living and he said only use de-ionized water only on them. Most cells have a 25 year life but start to degrade with time. These look like they have been totally abandoned. Check the cost of new ones then you will at least know general costs. I would say no more than a third of the cost of new so long as they are not older than five years. It looks like there are 14 panels. We put in a small system at work and paid $310 per panel six or seven years ago. So using that I would say she is high, not on drugs. My guess would be around $1,000 tops so long as they are in good condition. Sorry I can't help you with the electronics because another person did the install. I do know if they are glass panels as apposed to poly-carbonate they are more valuable. Good luck.

[Domeguy]

I found this article today, maybe it may help.

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A new generation of solar panels made from a mineral called perovskite has the potential to convert solar energy into household electricity more cheaply than ever before, according to a study from Briain's Exeter University.

Super-thin, custom-colored panels attached to a building's windows may become a "holy grail" for India and African countries, Senthilarasu Sundaram, one of the authors of the study, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

"In those countries these types of material will be like a holy grail: they can both shade windows ... and at the same time produce electricity," he said.

With a thickness measured in billionths of a meter, solar panels made of perovskite will be more than 40 percent cheaper and 50 percent more efficient than those commercially produced today, Sundaram said.

Unlike other solar panels, those made of perovskite can absorb most of the solar spectrum and work in various atmospheric conditions, rather than only in direct sunlight.

"This type of material for solar cells works in diffused conditions much, much better than the other types of solar cells," said Sundaram. "It won't be 100 percent, but it will be much more than what we have now."

Researchers have already tested the material in the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Current commercial products used to generate solar power, such as silicon or thin-film based technologies, are expensive because they are processed using vacuum-based techniques, the Exeter study said.

The production process for perovskite panels is very straightforward, but researchers still have to test the material under different conditions to better understand its properties, before companies embark on industrial-scale production, it said.

The photovoltaic (PV) energy market has been growing because of government targets for renewable energy production and CO2 emission controls, and the International Energy Agency has said that solar energy could be the world's biggest source of electricity by 2050.

Sundaram said perovskite could also be used to power mobile gadgets like laptops and tablets.

First found in 1839 in the Ural Mountains, perovskite is named after Russian mineralogist Lev Perovski.

(Reporting By Magdalena Mis; Editing by Tim Pearce)

[ElevenBravo]

I cant thiink of anything the others mentioned. But my input is:

1) Inspect each for damage
2) Clean panels before testing voltage
3) Verify WATTS of each (Look for a sticker)
4) MEASURE volts of each panel
5) Offer 50% less than asking price and dicker from there.

If they dont perform, $2500 is a lot to spend on yard decorations!!

EB

[helomech]

Thanks guys, I have not talked to her, but looking at the trees around them, they have been there a while. I don't think she has any more useful info though based on her post. I wont be able to look at them for about 6 more days.

[bacpacker]

Let us know what you find.