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Behind the solar panel, sunlight can be seen shining through the plastic backsheet in the grid-shaped space between the solar cells.
Unlike diamonds, solar panels are not forever. Ultraviolet rays, gusts of wind and heavy rain wear away at them over their lifetime.
Manufacturers typically guarantee that panels will endure the elements for at least 25 years before experiencing significant drop-offs in power generation, but recent reports highlight a trend of panels failing decades before expected. For some models, there has been a spike in the number of cracked backsheets — layers of plastic that electrically insulate and physically shield the backsides of solar panels.
The premature cracking has largely been attributed to the widespread use of certain plastics, such as polyamide, but the reason for their rapid degradation has been unclear. By closely examining cracked polyamide-based backsheets, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and colleagues have uncovered how interactions between these plastics, environmental factors and solar panel architecture may be speeding up the degradation process. These findings could aid researchers in the development of improved durability tests and longer-lived solar panels.
Cracks in backsheets often show up first near certain features — such as the grid-shaped space in between the blue or black electricity-producing solar cells — and can eventually propagate through the entire thickness of a sheet. These defects make way for oxygen and moisture to infiltrate and damage the interior where the cells lie and also allow electrical current to escape, increasing risks of electrocution.
If left outside for long enough, any plastic-based backsheet will start to fall apart, but not all backsheets are created equal. Some plastics deteriorate much more rapidly than others.
“In the 2010 to 2012 timeframe, many modules were ..
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