The technology
The solar market is constantly booming with an expected future growth rate of around 20 percent. Though investors and system owners are greatly influenced to operate in the solar market, they need to know that solar systems need to be viable and more reliable in order to cut down the risk on their investments. The most important considerations while building systems include the usage of most-suited materials, along with the following of best design and manufacturing practices. The systemโs ease of installation and the conditions under which it would be installed and maintained are again some of the important factors to be considered while designing the system.
How does it work
While talking about the choice of materials, the most important ones to be properly selected in a solar panel include metallization pastes, and backsheet and encapsulation materials. Metallization pastes transport the current generated in solar cells and are used at the back and front of these cells. A good quality paste can significantly improve the power output by providing higher cell efficiency. On the other hand, encapsulants that surround to protect the panel circuitry and cells should also be able to provide a long life for solar cells. Backsheets that protect the complete solar panel are critical to the long-term power output offered by the panel. Thus, for the best performance and durability even under harsh outdoor environments, backsheets should be made of films of polyvinyl fluoride (PVF).
In addition, risk mitigation is not possible through warranties as many of the system owners believe. Now-a-days, panel manufacturers hardly remain operative for a very long time, and even if they do, handling a 10-15 yearsโ warranty claim with constantly changing panel aesthetics and designs remains a challenge to them. So, itโs wiser to offer reliable and durable systems rather than focusing on the warranties.
Finally, the standard and stability testing of solar panels under lab conditions is not a guarantee of the actual performance of the same panel in the field. So, relying too much on lab tests could lead to unreliable claims. Along with that, itโs important to choose to work with the established names in the industry that are focused on achieving success through continuous innovation and quality offerings.
The benefits
There could be great benefits of using Tedlar PVF films as building materials in solar panels as these are the past-proven materials for making highly reliable backsheets, and thatโs the reason these are the most used materials even today. Some PET-based backsheets have shown unreliable performance and more failure rates over the past few years. The additional practices discussed above also play a reasonable role in offering the best quality of solar products and services.
How it makes a difference
At some point of time, high-quality technology was just assumed to be present by investors and system owners as they were not specialized to assess the impact of materials and were not able to provide powerful systems with longer lifetime. However, a once short-term focus has now become the point of competition in the solar market. Buyers are more aware of the materials used in solar systems and an inferior quality could lead investors to lose their money.
