You bet.
There have been solar panel failures all over the world.
There have been a number of failures in India as well.
Recently, Solar Mango came to know about a 10 MW solar power plant near Bhilwara in Rajasthan which was destroyed by hailstorms, when indeed solar panels are supposed to withstand such hailstorms.
But even worse, there have been many documented failures of large solar farms in Rajasthan and Gujarat, many of which did not even require hailstorms – some of these simply went down in strong winds, and some of them were affected by PID and so on. The net effect was that in most of these cases the solar panels had to be completely replaced – a very costly mistake.
I have written a few other posts where I have provided answers related to this question. Broadly, solar panels are tested for a number of parameters by the manufacturer before they are shipped to the market. High quality manufacturers ensure that they test these panels with even more rigor than that suggested by international standard agencies such as ISO and IEC. For those panels that have come through such testing, it will not be a surprise that have very few failures. At the same time, there are a number of companies that are pushing poor quality, untested panels into the market at low prices.
In India, what Solar Mango has seen is that failures involving such low quality panels have been very high indeed. As they say, high quality hurts you only once when you pay a higher price, but low quality hurts you for ever after.
You Might Want to Check Out these Questions Too on Risks & Warranties
- How Much Do I Stand to Lose If I Choose a Poor Quality Solar Panel?-Here
- Can Solar Panels Withstand Hailstorms?-Here
- Can Solar Panels Withstand Snow and Rain?-Here
- Can Solar Panels be Damaged by Floods?-Here
- What Happens if the Solar Panel Manufacturer Goes Out of Business?-Here
- What Warranties Should I Look for While Purchasing Solar Panels?-Here
- What Happens if there are Bird Droppings on Solar Panels?-Here
- What Happens if Heavy Objects Fall on Solar Panels?-Here
- What Happens if Someone Accidentally Walks on Solar Panels?-Here
- What is PID (performance induced degradation) of a Solar Panel?-Here
- How Can I Protect Solar Panels Against Monkeys and Other Animals?-Here
- What All Can Go Wrong with Solar Panels?-Here
- What Types of Insurance are Available for Solar Panels?-Here
- What is the Shading of Solar Panels all About? What are Its Implications?-Here
- What are Light Induced Defects in Solar Cells?-Here
- What is a Solar Module Derate Factor?-Here
- If a Cell in a Solar Panel Doesn’t Work, Does It Affect Generation from Other Cells?-Here
EVALUATION PARAMETERS
If PID effect is noticed in time, these modules need not be replaced. I have faced PID in a 10 mw plant and took measures in time and did not replace a single module. These modules are working at their best even now (after 5 years)
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