Advice - damaged panel

[prg594]

Would appreciate some advice... We have a damaged panel (cricket ball!) Looking at the daily generation figures in similar (hot & sunny!) weather before and after, it doesn't appear to be having any noticeable effect on generation. However I'm concerned when (if?!) it rains, water could get in and cause more serious damage. Should we get this swapped out? (And/or at least physically bypass the offending panel in the meantime?)

If the former, does anyone have a single, reasonably priced JA solar 235 panel available?! (MCS certificated product name: JAM6(BK)-60-***/SI (235-265) Series, MCS certificated product number: BABT 8515-18). What sort of price would we be looking at?

I'm a customer rather than an installer, so please go easy on me! ;-)

 

[telectrix]

can you not claim on your house insurance?

 

[prg594]

Investigating that, but thought I'd seek some technical advice as well! ;-)

 

[telectrix]

well, solar is not my bag, so for tecccy advice you'll have to wait for a solar expert to advise. my instinct would be to replace asap.

 

[Vegelen]

Try and get hold of x2 JAM6(BK)-60-***/SI (235-265) solar panels before all available UK stock runs out. Replace damaged panel and keep 2nd panel spare.
Evoenergy, Solar Century stock them amongst others.
Good Luck!

 

[Worcester]

We've come across a few panels on commercial installations that the glass has broken on - we've done thorough investigations and haven't been able to find the cause

To answer your questions:
1) we have carefully monitored the strings with the broken panels and there has been very little drop in performance - if you didn't know , you couldn't have identified that there was a problem from monitoring the outputs.
2) Will it fail ultimately - yes the backing will give way and depending upon how its held in the frame - it may just fall out.

Will water get in? after a long time yes, - What will happen then? Output will drop. Will it 'kill' the string. Possibly - the bypass diodes though may kick in.

We've been playing around with the broken ones we replaced to see how the bypass diodes work, and are still confused - even been deliberately shading and breaking them some more and they still seem to go on working for a long time haven't YET got one to force the string to shut down, need to play around with the sledge hammer a bit more, problem is need to do it on sunny days and it gets too hot at the moment ...

Should you bypass it? We didn't bother, on the big commerical installs we did make sure though that it was on an input with a single string attached to it. - So I wouldn't bother bypassing it because:
Should you replace it - YES, especially before it gets loaded with snow.
Is this likely to happen again? ---- Only you can answer that ... If so, you could claim on whoever hit the ball's insurance.

 

[Gavin A]

we've got one like this in our warehouse replaced from a cricket club, system was operating fine, it's just the glass that shatters, the other layers bonded to it still seem to be intact and holding it all together and water proofing it.

As worcester says though, the issue is whether this is strong enough when the snow comes - I suspect it is on the romag panel we swapped out, can't speak for the JA solar panel though, but it probably will still have 3 layers intact and holding it together.

Obviously though the correct course of action is to replace it to prevent the potential for it to cause problems.

 

[prg594]

we've got one like this in our warehouse replaced from a cricket club, system was operating fine, it's just the glass that shatters, the other layers bonded to it still seem to be intact and holding it all together and water proofing it.

As worcester says though, the issue is whether this is strong enough when the snow comes - I suspect it is on the romag panel we swapped out, can't speak for the JA solar panel though, but it probably will still have 3 layers intact and holding it together.

Obviously though the correct course of action is to replace it to prevent the potential for it to cause problems.

Thanks for the helpful replies guys. Evoenergy only have the 250W panel (we have 235W) and Solarcentury replied initially but having provided our postcode not heard from them in over a week.

Any other suppliers worth a try?

 

[whinmoor]

Have you tried Zenex? Only 250s, 255s and 260s showing on their website but possible that they stocked smaller versions previously and have the odd one knocking about.

Address:
Zenex Solar Ltd.
St Pegs Mill
Thornhillbeck Lane
Brighouse, West Yorkshire
HD6 4AH

Email: [email protected]
Telephone: +44 1484 475 800
Fax: +44 1484 475 802

 

[Gavin A]

We've come across a few panels on commercial installations that the glass has broken on - we've done thorough investigations and haven't been able to find the cause

possibly seagulls?

Apparently they have a natural habit of dropping shellfish on rocks from a great height to crack them open, and sometimes continue with the same habit when inland, but just using rocks instead of shellfish.

Not quite sure where I picked up this nugget of information though.

 

[Worcester]

Thanks GavinA, we have one roof about 1m for the sea on the Norfolk coast that during the install we completely cleared of stones and chicken wings that had clearly been scavanged and dropped, one year on as part of our maintenance regime inspections and there was about 40 new stones between 25mm and 50mm back on the roof - definitely seagulls the source of the stones, though no damage in that case, . On the one with the 'crazed' panels, no stones, area never seen a seagull (its pretty remote), we are still looking for the cause...

 

[solarfred]

Thanks GavinA, we have one roof about 1m for the sea on the Norfolk coast that during the install we completely cleared of stones and chicken wings that had clearly been scavanged and dropped, one year on as part of our maintenance regime inspections and there was about 40 new stones between 25mm and 50mm back on the roof - definitely seagulls the source of the stones, though no damage in that case, . On the one with the 'crazed' panels, no stones, area never seen a seagull (its pretty remote), we are still looking for the cause...

It'll be a courier, no doubt at all. They smashed plenty of my panels.