PV power tolerance [RE-wrenches]

[Ray Walters]

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>  If anyone thinks they
>are going to get much of anything out of a 20-year-old array producing 65%
>of original rating, I've got some swamp land I'd love to sell you.
>
>Bill.
>

HI Bill & All;

I'm not sure I follow your above statement. Here in Taos, numerous folks 
are still running bronzed out Tri-Lams and Quad-Lams, old Arco modules with 
the round cells etc. Some probably are over 20 years old and/ or down to 
65% of original. Unless physically damaged (bullet hole, yanked off 
junction post) they still put usable amps into the batteries, though. If 
you California folks have modules you don't want, I have poor needy 
Americans who will take them off your hands! (we could use some swamp land 
here in the desert)
As far as ratings, I have seen BP's polycrystalline line (formerly Solarex) 
consistently perform poorly. Their monocrystalline stuff holds up to its 
numbers as does Photowatt's 100 watt module. Shell (formerly Siemens) has 
consistently under rated their stuff. I have measured SP140 s putting out 
over 150 watts on several occasions at three different installations. These 
are the first modules in 18 years of experience, I have seen go over their 
rating. (Guess what I'm selling these days...)
As for as warranties, the manus are pretty tight with the actual text. I am 
creating a chart to compare modules, and I wanted to compare warranties: 
years and % of rating. I am actually having a real hard time finding this 
info. Any body know for instance what Unisolar's % of rated output is in 
their warranty? All warranties and manufacturers are not equal, so I am 
trying to be fair and create a buyer's guide that compares apples to apples.


Ray Walters
ray at solarray.com
President, SolarRay, Inc.
NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer
BS Mechanical Engineering, UT Austin 88
Returned US Peace Corps Volunteer 

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