Using laminating film to repair shattered solar panel.

[Mattb4]

I received a busted glass 200w solar panel yesterday that the Seller is going to replace with new. He is not requiring me to return the broken one and it got me thinking of if a shattered glass solar panel has any utility or is repairable. After some Internet Search I see that several places recommend applying transparent laminated film to the front as a shield and thus getting some use (albeit less than rating due to all that cracked glass) out of the damaged panel. I have yet to test the panel for voltage in the sun (can't at the moment due to rain) so I am not sure if a repair is in the cards.*

Has anyone done the laminated film repair? If so which film did they use, thickness and such and where acquired? How did it turn out overall?

Update: The rain stopped for awhile so I stood the panel up outdoors and took a voltage reading I got 20.77v which for a panel rating of 21.6Voc seems to be pretty good with the sky still heavily overcast. Got to thinking about just using a clear spray on coating instead of a film (hard to find film of the right size) to act as a protector.

 

[xjaw4]

I've considered using oraguard-290 though there are other options in terms of thickness and expected life given UV exposure. I'm not sure how much it would reduce output or how long the film would last or if the cheaper stuff with less UV inhibiters would mean more PV output.

ORAGUARD® 290F Optically Clear PVC Laminating Film - 54" x 10 Yd

ORAGUARD 290F Optically Clear is a 2 mil, optically clear cast film designed for protecting indoor or outdoor digital print graphics. With an installation life of 8 years, 290F is designed for use in applications where long-term protection, high transparency and clarity are required. Available...

www.airmark.com

I have some bifacial panels that have cracked glass and figured it would give them some extra protection. A friend who works for a solar installer said they looked good enough that they would install them as-is given there were cracks but not shattered.

The solar cells are incased in plastic fin under the glass (EVA I'm told) that keeps the water out. If the cells are damaged or water gets in you cold have issues with hot spots arching.

Weekend Read: A 10 GW time bomb

It is estimated that 10 GW of solar modules in Germany suffer from prematurely aging backsheets, with sites of all sizes affected. <b>pv magazine Germany</b>’s <b>Cornelia Lichner</b> looks at how to detect and repair such defects.

www.pv-magazine.com

The above is an article about bad back sheet vinyl but it is important to understand what could happen if things go wrong. I plan on using my damaged panels on a ground mount away from my house.

 

[shadowmaker]

Broke backside on one of my huge 700W bifacials (2,4m x 1,3m) and painted every crack with polyurethane clear, wrapped with transparent film used over big printed stickers (1,5m wide and quite thin, paid ~50e). Next day secured all the edges with transparent acrylic glue/elastomer just in case if wrap shrinks over time.

Broken


Painted


Wrap


It's the most left bottom one and seems to work as good as the others.

 

[Mattb4]

Very interesting Shadowmaker. Got me to think that for small window cracks in auto windshields they use cyanoacrylate (Super glue) to repair. Could be an interesting experiment to flood a portion of the panel's glass with Super glue and see how it works.

 

[shadowmaker]

Very interesting Shadowmaker. Got me to think that for small window cracks in auto windshields they use cyanoacrylate (Super glue) to repair. Could be an interesting experiment to flood a portion of the panel's glass with Super glue and see how it works.

Vacuum/pressure is used to pull cyanoacrylate in those cracks. Would be hard to do with 1m long cracks. Also windshields don't need to bent (well only very little), but solar panels do. Super glue might be too rigid. That's why I used urethane clear instead of acrylic clear.

There is EVA (plastic) film underneath that cracked glass (between glass and solar cells), so in some cases cracked panels can tolerate moisture long time even if you don't repair them at all.

 

[Mattb4]

As I was perusing the possible products to seal the solar panel at my local Home Despot I came up on this stuff from Gorilla brand. It claims to be waterproof and flexible crystal clear sealant. Not cheap at $16 per can but if it works it would be not an unreasonable price. So i intend to give it a whirl as soon as I get a good moment to apply it to the busted panel.

I will let folks know what I think afterwards.

 

[CoolWill]

I think Lexel gel would work. It is a roofing sealant that stays crystal clear and flexible. It won't yellow or harden and crack.

 

[Mattb4]

I think Lexel gel would work. It is a roofing sealant that stays crystal clear and flexible. It won't yellow or harden and crack.

Looking up Lexel sealant and it appears to be more a type of caulk. Might not be as easy as the Gorilla that is a spray on sealant for doing the whole surface area of a shattered panel (which is what I have) but for a cracked panel it might be the ticket.

 

[Mattb4]

Well I just got done using the Gorilla spray. Couple of observations. It does not spray very well and it is more of a stream versus a typical paint pattern. It does seem to fill in the cracks good however as it dries it is turning milky colored rather than staying clear. Looks sorted frosted over. I can still read voltage from the panel but whether it will have any wattage is a question. It says to give 24 hours for the sealant to cure.

Considering how fractured the glass on the panel is it probably is simply a throw away.

ETA: Now that cloudy daylight is beginning to hit the panel a bit more the Voc has risen to 22.07v which is over the rating of 21.6. A short circuit amp reading gives 2.3a. It does look as if the panel will provide some wattage once I wire it into my #3 array. That will be in series with 4 - 100w claimed (actual likely 75w) panels where it will be 2P, 2P and that connected 3S with the 200w one.

Wired the panel in and it definitely is outputting wattage. #3 array at 10am went from 70w with the 4 panels to 112w with the busted one added. Now at 10.30am and somewhat better sunlight it is up to 270w. The #3 array was peaking at about that yesterday at full sunlight so it will be interesting to see what I get.

*Some images added of the #3 array with the panel mounted.

 

[Mattb4]

Just about at peak sun time now. Bit hard to keep up with having enough loads so the batteries are not at full charge (I had to plug in a 1500w space heater) and while the day is fair and 76F there are some high clouds and haze to cut production. But my results for the panel are that it is producing about 60% of rated versus about 70% of rated for the undamaged panels. I would say that is not bad. The max wattage from my #3 array hit ~370w of the estimated true 500w of the array. The claimed wattage ratings would be 595w of which 370w would be 62%.

During the day the calculated percent for all 3 of my arrays tracked fairly closely. So that helps rule out anything special about #3 array.