Solar Energy Tip –
Is It Worth Buying A Used Solar Panel?

Solar panels are the most important part of a solar power system to produce electricity. These panels capture the suns heat directly and convert them into electricity. Solar power can be used in all walks of life. The idea of using solar power for residential use is slowly catching up world over. Be it homes, offices, industries and agriculture. Solar power as the name suggests is the energy got from the sun.

It is a simple and easy to use method. Purchase a solar panel and put in your backyard or garden or roof and there you have your power to light your life. The cost for using this method is slightly expensive as the panels are expensive to manufacture. Once the awareness spreads the demand will increase and the cost will come down.

You can assemble your own solar panel. All you need is $10 to make it and generate electricity. In that case is it worth buying a used solar panel? The answer is yes. A used solar panel will be as good as the new one. Their life expectancy is over 25 years. Many industrial outfits upgrade themselves regularly and give away their used solar panels for home use. A used solar panel is a bargain in every way. A used solar panel which is twenty years old produces 10% less power than when it was brand new.

Since solar panels are zero maintenance there is no depreciation in its use. Nowadays the demand for used panels is increasing and so the price should come down. As of now there is not much of a price difference between the new and used solar panels.Experts say that while buying a used solar panel you should compare the price per watt and not on the whole. New and latest solar panels generate twice the power like the used ones. But if you compare the price per watt then you have a bargain.

People living in mountainous regions prefer to have used solar panels for their cabins as it is cost effective. What are the things you need to watch while buying a used solar panel? First and foremost see to it that the panel is not damaged.

Older panels were made with a plastic substrate that turned brown after considerable use. Mirror concentrators made this problem more serious. A brown panel doesn’t mean it is not efficient. You need to measure the actual output of power.

Burned-out bypass diode is another common problem in a used solar panel. This can be easily fixed and will fetch you a good bargain on the price. Go ahead and buy it. Loose connection between the PV cells is another reason to sell the panel. This can be easily fixed by soldering and your used solar panel will work and be efficient as good as a new one. So next time you read about a sale go for it and make yourself solar powered like the rest of the world.

Chad Hartman is a solar power supporter and a staff writer for Go-Solar.org. To learn more about solar energy and how you can benefit from it, please visit our site at: http://Go-Solar.org

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