Using Cracked panels from Solar Farm?

[Ross199]

So basically I work on Solar farms for a living and would like to install solar on my Barn roof back in Indiana. At the particular farm I'm at we have about 1000 panels that have been damaged either in shipping or during construction that have been set aside for recycling. The majority of the module can be completely broken, but some are set aside for small hairline cracks usually near the corners and barely visible. The company has to pay to recycle these panels, so question I'm asking is it worth taking up to 24 of these 540w modules back home and wiring up a diy inverter to start this project? I would inspect and get the best ones from the recycling and possibly test them? Would all I need then is racking and a number of inverters besides a two way meter at the house?

 

[NorthTown2022]

There is a risk of fire hazard is increased with broken panels. I'd consider a ground mount instead.

 

[AntronX]

If they are free then hell yea take them. Even fully shattered panels will make power. Just lay them out flat on the ground.

 

[Nobodybusiness]

So basically I work on Solar farms for a living and would like to install solar on my Barn roof back in Indiana. At the particular farm I'm at we have about 1000 panels that have been damaged either in shipping or during construction that have been set aside for recycling. The majority of the module can be completely broken, but some are set aside for small hairline cracks usually near the corners and barely visible. The company has to pay to recycle these panels, so question I'm asking is it worth taking up to 24 of these 540w modules back home and wiring up a diy inverter to start this project? I would inspect and get the best ones from the recycling and possibly test them? Would all I need then is racking and a number of inverters besides a two way meter at the house?

Absolutely take them if free.
Just put them on a ground mount outside.
If one craps out no loss. Just replace with another.

I guarantee if I lived near there I would take them all.

 

[Siamac]

Yeah, I would take them too

 

[fromport]

Those Solar Farm panels normally have a higher voltage per panel than residential panels.
Do your string voltage calculations correctly!

 

[Quattrohead]

Yes take them and put them to work but as others have said you might want to ground mount them rather than put them on the roof unless you are confident that they are not likely to arc at some time in the future.
I had one Panasonic panel that was absolutely shattered into a thousand pieces and was all discolored but you could not see it on the monitoring site, it was putting out just about the same as all the other panels.

 

[Rednecktek]

Free Stuff > Cheap Stuff > Expensive Stuff

Take 'em and run!