[RE-wrenches] 30-year old PV module

[Joel Davidson]

Bob-O,
I'm with you on keeping modules modular. Years ago, Mobil Solar made Ra modules that were approx 5 ft x 5 ft. Big and heavy. You could hear the cells crack when the module was flexed. Big modules require more than one person to handle and require special shipping which adds cost. Another issue is safety. Lifting heavy and over-sized materials can hurt you. On the other hand, you can save time and money by panelizing modules and then lifting them into place with crane.
Joel Davidson




________________________________
From: Bob-O Schultze <bob-o at electronconnection.com>
To: RE-wrenches <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>
Sent: Mon, May 24, 2010 9:32:24 AM
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] 30-year old PV module

Joel, 
A good argument against ever increasing PV sizes and a great argument against big PVs on RVs and other mobile mounts.
Thanks, Bob-O


On May 22, 2010, at 4:42 PM, Joel Davidson wrote:
Hello Drake,
 
(silicon not silicone) Good question about thickness. I recently inspected a circa 1996 solar array with 300 micron thick, 6-inch round cells encapsulated behind 3 mm thick glass and found a few cracked cells and impact fractures. Today, some cells are 260 to 200 microns and even down to 180 to 160 microns thick. I think if the cells are handled properly, and the glass is 4 mm thick, and the module frame is strong enough to minimize twisting, and the modules are handled and installed with care, then cell breakage can be kept to a minimum. It's not how thin the cells are. It is how the cells and modules are encapsulated and handled.
 
Joel Davidson
----- Original Message -----
>From: Drake Chamberlin
>To: RE-wrenches
>Sent: Saturday, May 22, 2010 1:39 PM
>Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] 30-year old PV module
>
>Thanks for the excellent article.  I have two of these old Arcos, and they still put out like new, even though one was (apparently) used in a concentrator, due to the fact that it came bronzed.  
>
>Do you think the newer modules, with thinner silicone, will last as long?
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