Thin film module questions

[clockwork]

Hello everyone, first time poster here. After some failed googling and forum searching, I was hoping some of you might have some advice for me before I jump into something that looks like a great deal at first glance.

I stumbled on a sale of a significant amount of unused thin film solar modules. Apparently, it was for a solar farm that never came to be, so the panels were in original packaging since 2011 or so.

The panels were made in China, by "GS-Solar" and "Best-Solar", a-Si cell type and pretty low efficiency (~9%). The modules are enclosed, 3.2mm front glass and 4mm back.

So basically, my questions are:

1. Does sitting in a box stored somewhere for 4 years affect the thin film modules in any significant way? I would guess no, the deterioration should begin once they are in operation, right?

2. What about the manufacturers? Any bad rep or something?

3. I'm aware of the thin film vs crystalline discussion mostly, but what are your thoughts/experiences? Roof space isn't really a problem, so low efficiency isn't as well, I'm mostly concerned about the longevity, especially since they are 2011 make.


Thanks

[SunEagle]

Hello everyone, first time poster here. After some failed googling and forum searching, I was hoping some of you might have some advice for me before I jump into something that looks like a great deal at first glance.

I stumbled on a sale of a significant amount of unused thin film solar modules. Apparently, it was for a solar farm that never came to be, so the panels were in original packaging since 2011 or so.

The panels were made in China, by "GS-Solar" and "Best-Solar", a-Si cell type and pretty low efficiency (~9%). The modules are enclosed, 3.2mm front glass and 4mm back.

So basically, my questions are:

1. Does sitting in a box stored somewhere for 4 years affect the thin film modules in any significant way? I would guess no, the deterioration should begin once they are in operation, right?

2. What about the manufacturers? Any bad rep or something?

3. I'm aware of the thin film vs crystalline discussion mostly, but what are your thoughts/experiences? Roof space isn't really a problem, so low efficiency isn't as well, I'm mostly concerned about the longevity, especially since they are 2011 make.


Thanks

Hello clockwork and Welcome to Solar Panel Talk

If the panels have been stored in a dry location that was not too hot they should be ok. Heat is the biggest factor to thin film degradation.

I am not familiar with that manufacturer but I can tell you just about all of the early thin film products did not perform as expected or live anywhere near as long as they thought they should. Most died to the lack of cooling.

Depending on the panel specs (Vmp, Imp, Voc and Ioc) will determine what type of inverter they can be used with. Not sure if they would meet all of the US electrical codes so going grid tie may be a problem.

It comes down to being a gamble and if you can afford to lose or not what you put into purchasing them. They may work perfectly or die an early death. Hard to know without getting hands on testing.

[Sunking]

As SunEagle states if the panels have been stored properly, they will be fine. Ironically what damages Thin Film panels is sun light. Thin Film panels are about a 5 year product once installed.

[clockwork]

I see. So 2011 is considered as an early generation thin film, right?

Btw, I'm not from the US and as far as I know I shouldn't have any problems tieing into the grid. That brings me to the question I forgot to ask initially, regarding the inverters. The same seller is offering string inverters, also new, but they seem to be pretty high end German (KACO, Shuco, SMA..) products, and bargains as well. Would you ever recommend buying inverters before the panels?

I guess I should also mention that we're not planing a simple home solar setup, more of a commercial use for a wood processing plant. Our peak load is around 150kW, and we were in early stages (as I bet you can tell from my lack of knowledge) of planing a solar system investment of around 20-30kWp, when this seemingly awesome deal came around. I mean 1400 euros for a 33kW inverter?

here's a link to the auction I'm talking about..

Every input is very much appreciated, thanks again

[SunEagle]

I see. So 2011 is considered as an early generation thin film, right?

Btw, I'm not from the US and as far as I know I shouldn't have any problems tieing into the grid. That brings me to the question I forgot to ask initially, regarding the inverters. The same seller is offering string inverters, also new, but they seem to be pretty high end German (KACO, Shuco, SMA..) products, and bargains as well. Would you ever recommend buying inverters before the panels?

I guess I should also mention that we're not planing a simple home solar setup, more of a commercial use for a wood processing plant. Our peak load is around 150kW, and we were in early stages (as I bet you can tell from my lack of knowledge) of planing a solar system investment of around 20-30kWp, when this seemingly awesome deal came around. I mean 1400 euros for a 33kW inverter?

here's a link to the auction I'm talking about..

Every input is very much appreciated, thanks again

Sorry. I am not familiar with any of that hardware including the inverters. I can tell you that in the US a 3kw (< 1/10th the one you are looking at ) inverter costs about $2300 USD. So IMO 1400 euros is nothing for a 33kw inverter if it works.

[clockwork]

Sorry. I am not familiar with any of that hardware including the inverters. I can tell you that in the US a 3kw (< 1/10th the one you are looking at ) inverter costs about $2300 USD. So IMO 1400 euros is nothing for a 33kw inverter if it works.

Yeah, one of those "too good to be true" type of deals... The auctioneer is a very trusted one, though, and I've worked with them before.

Thanks again.

[Mike90250]

personally, I would pass on that "deal". There is a good reason they are sitting in a warehouse, they are more trouble to install and replace in 5 years, then it's worth. If they were only 5% efficient, but had a 25 year lifetime, it might be a deal, but they are not going to last long, and then you have to tear them out and replace them with new panels, and not create leaks in the roof.

Any solar install over 10Kw is going to be a MAJOR undertaking, and the local utility will have to approve connecting it to their grid.