Instead of buying new solar panels, buying used ones can help you gain substantial savings
. They could still be used to generate electricity for you home. They are cost effective and environmental friendly way to reduce your electricity bills.
You can get a used panel from various sources. Try to find homeowners with solar panels that look old. Broken photovoltaic panels can be found at recycling centres which could be used.
The best way is to contact a contractor or an agent who is a specialist in photovoltaic panel installation. Many people throw away their used ones before installing a new one. You can also contact a building contractor. They often renovate houses installed with solar panels and are happy to get someone dispose such things for them.
A lot of people may give you their old solar panels if you offer to transport them away from the site. Some of them could be unwilling to give away their owned photovoltaic panels. Perhaps a small amount of money may get then convinced.
If you find a used panel with beat-up model, you can easily dismantle the good cells to make your own homemade photovoltaic panel.
Before you buy an used up panel, you need to look out for few fatal flaws that may make your panel unusable.
1. Broken connections, cracked glass, condensation under glass are few common problems that may lead owners to part away with their panels.
2. You might not notice the loose connections when you visually inspect them. These faults can be made out by a resistance meter, and high resistance joints are re-soldered together.
Even tough used photovoltaic panels are cheap, they have few disadvantages. They have a low output efficiency. They become less effective after being exposed to sun for a decade or two. As they have a shorter lifetime, thus they can be utilized just for their remaining years to come.
The low cost of used solar panels allure a lot of people to buy them. If the panels have good efficiency and good lifetime period left, then it could be an excellent investment.