Rust on metal strips in solar panel

[Sonnyboy]

Has anyone experienced rust on the metal strips under the glass on solar panels? Does it degrade performance? It can't do it any good! This panel is on my RV installed in 2005, made by ICPGlobal.com and sold as Solar Pro 100 Watt #21000. The item has been discontinued by the mfg. It seems to still be charging the system. Since it's under the glass (no breaks in the glass), I assume there is no fix, just use it 'til it stops working. But I have never seen this before so I was wondering if this is normal.IMGP4748.jpg

[Mike90250]

Not normal. Not rust. There is no iron in the panels to rust, the strips are tinned copper, and there is an anomaly there, heating things up, and causing the discoloration. There could be a short in that area of the panel, and it's consuming the power. If you can check the backside, you may find a screw, twig or something punctured the sealing layer, and moisture got in, and ruined the PV material. Factory panels are generally resistant to actually catching fire, but homemade with wood and PVC will burn when the heating like this first occurs.

So the panel you photographed, is likely not putting out full power, some of it is being consumed to heat that spot