Used Solar Panels – Saving Money On Solar Equipment

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009 at 6:00 am

When you buy something, you want it to be new and shiny. We all attribute new with something that looks good and lasts a long time. Unfortunately, we don’t always have the fluid assets to purchase the new and shiny; sometimes we have to settle for the old but dependable. If you have priced out equipment for solar energy, you have probably discovered that a single panel costs well over $1,000. That may cause you to consider shopping for a used solar panel instead.

Appliances for the home once had the reputation for being long lasting and dependable. Fifty years ago, it wasn’t unusual for a refrigerator to last at least 15 years; some kept running for longer than that with very little upkeep. Remember the Maytag repairman? He was always lonely and bored. Back then, there was no pressure to get an extended warranty on a television because it would last such a long time as long as you replaced a tube occasionally.

Nowadays, most things don’t hold up under long-term use, and we pay more money than an item is worth so we can get another year or two of coverage to protect our investment when our product breaks down. This form of insurance has become big business due to the sloppily assembled and poorly designed technology of many of the things we buy. Wouldn’t it be nice to have something that was dependable again?

The best things in life are most often the simplest. Anything that has moving parts is going to have some of those parts wear out. Not to say some won’t last for a long time, but the more parts there are, the more chances that one will fail before the whole product breaks down. The solar panel is one of the simplest appliances you can buy. It has no moving parts to wear out. The only concern about a panel is what exterior conditions might cause damage to it.

In test conditions, solar panels are proven to last over 50 years! Do you have anything that has lasted that long when it has been used every day for that length of time? If you are going to make an investment in something that you expect to last, other than a marriage, solar energy is the thing.

The worst things that usually happen to solar panels are acts of God. Hail, tornados, hurricanes, and other similarly uncontrollable events damage panels all the time. If you carry homeowner’s insurance, you should be covered on those issues. The only other thing, besides normal wear, is abuse, and it is conceivable that someone might consciously want to damage a solar panel for whatever reason.

Because solar panels reserve their output capabilities so well, most come with a 20 to 25 year warranty. If you buy the panel from a previous owner, the warranty may be transferrable. At any rate, the panel should last a long time depending on its age and condition when you acquire it.

Saving money on your solar system is important. The only real ways to save are on the installation, if you can do it yourself, and the equipment. Buying a used solar panel is the best way to save on the equipment end.