Ensh*tification

[AzScorpion]

I didn't watch the whole video, but I have a bit to do with the renewables industry here in Australia (not by choice lol)
It's not just appliances and cars; it absolutely boggles the mind that multi-billion dollar assets and projects are being built with a maximum design life of 25, maybe 30 years - tops. Solar farms, battery farms and wind farms that are likely to be up for at least a huge remediation project after that time frame, if not a complete tear-down and replacement. Why aren't they built with a longer time frame in mind? Our transmission infrastructure that was built in the 50's and 60's was designed to last 100+ years, and it's still holding up strong.

You'll know better than me and correct me if I'm wrong but don't the solar panels last longer than 25 years? I know when I got my solar system (10 years ago) at my last house they said the panels were warrantied for 25 years. That doesn't mean that's their lifespan but after 25 years there was a certain percent of degradation (0.25-.05% per year) but the panels should still produce for about 50 more years. SO after 25 years they'll still produce 87-93% of their original output.

I do know the inverters are prone to fail quicker and that was one reason I went with micro inverters. They're supposed to last longer and if one fails the whole system doesn't go down one that one panel goes down. Think of the old Christmas tree lights when one build went out the whole stain was out now it's just that one bulb.

ETA: I found an article stating what they told me.

https://www.thegreenwatt.com/how-long-do-solar-panels-last/

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[Rtball]

That was a very informative and enjoyable video. Won't get back the 65+ minutes it took to watch it, but the guy made me chuckle more than once. He made some good points in it also. He obviously wasn't on a fixed budget or income!
The responses from many of the Forum members were enlightening too. Dang, you guys are old!!

 

[tentspast]

You'll know better than me and correct me if I'm wrong but don't the solar panels last longer than 25 years? I know when I got my solar system (10 years ago) at my last house they said the panels were warrantied for 25 years. That doesn't mean that's their lifespan but after 25 years there was a certain percent of degradation (0.25-.05% per year) but the panels should still produce for about 50 more years. SO after 25 years they'll still produce 87-93% of their original output.

I do know the inverters are prone to fail quicker and that was one reason I went with micro inverters. They're supposed to last longer and if one fails the whole system doesn't go down one that one panel goes down. Think of the old Christmas tree lights when one build went out the whole stain was out now it's just that one bulb.

ETA: I found an article stating what they told me.

https://www.thegreenwatt.com/how-long-do-solar-panels-last/

You're exactly right, 25 year design life doesn't mean it'll just stop working at 25 years.
I was more specifically talking about utility scale projects. They are treated as a consumable technology cycle, and due to the thin margins they operate at, at year 25 or 30 it's cheaper for the investor to rip out and replace rather than deal with declining output, increasing O&M costs etc. etc. Therefore the design and engineering of the overall project stops at 25 years... think string inverters; cable; conduit; tracker systems; even labelling, all working to a design life of just 25 years. The same principle applies to batteries and wind. This results in a lot of waste IMO.
Compare this with hydro for example, where the core engineering is designed and built to last 100 years.... Even coal plants were designed to last at least 50 years back in the day, although they are being retired sooner than that to meet net zero obligations. Anyway, end of rant from my laptop which is starting to wear out after 3 years lol

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