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To: ARE SOLE
The panels degrade and they become useless after 5 years on average. I should know, I go though enough of them. besides, it isn't the silocone part that breaks, its all the little connections that corrode and short out. Or the seal starts leaking and they get moisture in them.

At any rate, try collecting that warranty. Read the fine print.

But don't come here and try tell an experienced off the grid self sufficient user of windmills and solar panels how 'great' solar panels are or how long they last when all you have ever done is read "fabulous" claims from an internet site add.

Even if solar panels lasted 25 years, the cost of them and the cost of all the battery banks, windmills, back up generators, inverters, charge controllers, towers and all the maintenance that goes along with it makes getting your electricity this way far, far more expensive that what you get sitting on your butt plugged into "the grid". It is so expensive that there is no hope of ever recouping my investment from money saved paying the electric company.

Plus, because I live way out in the sticks, I can have a couple of windmills buzzing away and a couple banks of panels. You can't do this in urban areas. There are by-laws preventing you from doing so in most places, and there is no way smaller windmills will do you any good, except make a nice lawn ornament that can maybe light up a tiny lightbulb at night .

55 posted on 12/03/2007 1:28:03 AM PST by Nathan Zachary
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To: Nathan Zachary

I just use them on my sailboat. Mine are close to ten years old. I use a Link 20 monitoring system. I can see the rate they charge my batteries and in optimal light conditions they still produce more than 90% of what they did when new in optimal light conditions .

Regards


57 posted on 12/03/2007 1:36:25 AM PST by ARE SOLE (Agents Ramos and Campean are in prison at this very moment.. (A "Concerned Citizen".)
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