Solar panels come with performance guarantees that promise a minimum performance for the entire lifetime of the solar panel.
There are two different types of such performance guarantees:
- Standard Guarantee
- Linear Guarantee
A standard performance guarantee essentially says that the solar panel will have a minimum efficiency % during a particular period.
For instance, a typical standard performance guarantee spec will say that the solar panel will have an efficiency of at least 90% until the end of the 10th year and minimum of 80% until end of 25th year. Now, such a guarantee only assures you the floor limit for the performance during this period, and there is no incentive at all for the panel manufacturer to produce panels that will produce more than the lower limit. Thus, under such a scenario, it could well be that your panel performs only 90% of its ideal performance for the entire duration of the first ten years; and thereafter, for the subsequent 15, it performs only at 80% for the entire duration.
Compare this with a Linear Performance Guarantee, in which you are guaranteed a minimum performance for every year of the 25 year duration, with each year having a slightly lower performance guarantee than the previous year, the decrease varying in a linear manner. While at the end of the tenth year, the lower guaranteed limit for this also could be the same as what it was for the Standard Guarantee, in the intervening years (1-9), the GUARANTEED floor is higher than for Standard Guaranteed. Thus, over 25 years, panels will Linear Guarantee can be expected to generate significantly more electricity than panels with Standard Guarantee.
Thus, it is fairly obvious that between the two, a Linear Guarantee is superior to a Standard Guarantee. Do bear this mind when you are finalizing the selection of the solar panel.
You Might Want to Check Out these Questions Too on Performance
- Will a Solar Panel Really Last 25 Years?-Here
- How Much Electricity Will Solar Panels Produce in a High Sunlight Region?-Here
- How Much Electricity Will Solar Panels Produce in a Moderate Sunlight Region?-Here
- How Much Electricity Will Solar Panels Produce in a Low Sunlight Region?-Here
- Do Some Solar Panels Perform Better than Other in Low Sunlight?-Here
- How Do I Know if My Solar Panels are Generating Maximum Possible Electricity?-Here
- How Do I Know Thin Film Solar Panels Can Work for 25 Years?-Here
- Is Choosing a Very High Efficiency Panel a Good Idea?-Here
- How Can I Maximise Generation from Solar Panels from a Limited Rooftop Area?-Here
- What is the Highest Efficiency for Solar Panels in 2016?-Here
- Do High Efficiency Solar Panels Generate More Electricity than Low Efficiency Panels?-Here
- What Will be a Solar Panel’s Efficiency After 25 Years?-Here
- What are the Typical Solar Panel Efficiency I Should Look for?-Here
- How Much Generation Decrease Can Result from Dust on Solar Panels?-Here
- How Much Electricity will a Solar Panel Generate in a Year?-Here
- What is the Warranty Available for Solar Panels?-Here
- How Does a Linear Performance Guarantee Works for Solar Panels?-Here
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