Hail damaged / cracked solar panel repair using UV resin. Does it really work?
Note: Solar panels can carry dangerous voltages and currents, especially if you work on them in sunlight! Shorting 30VDC would be a bad thing. Incorrectly installed or faulty solar panels have started house fires. This post is for informational purposes only. Don't attempt any repairs if you are not skilled or qualified to do so.
Back in 2016 I was beginning my DIY solar power journey. An electrician friend kindly donated some hail damaged solar panels, another friend donated a boot load of used laptop batteries. With everything I needed to get started at zero cost, I was keen to make do with what I had and power my house.
A major downside to solar panels is the glass covered polycrystalline layer is exposed to the elements 24/7, hail, rain and extreme temperatures will degrade and eventually destroy them.
The hail damaged solar panels checked out OK with the multimeter, they were still functioning and had no problems charging my batteries. One even had a 5cm hole smashed right through it... amazingly it still worked!
I did some research and came across a blog page where a guy repaired his solar panel with epoxy resin. I looked online and found a 3 litre kit of UV stable resin for AUD $70 (Dec 2016). I am assuming in 2021 its still the same product, however the price is now AUD $100.
If you have broken solar panels and are thinking of UV resin as a solution rather than discarding them, you have come to the right place! The short answer is: Unfortunately, no it did not work!
Let's go through the process. I found the product listed as UV stable/resistant, messaged the seller and asked if it might be suitable for the purpose I intended. They responded with a Yes. I ordered it, it arrived about a week later.
I thoroughly cleaned and dried the damaged solar panel in the sun. Mixed the resin according to specifications and poured it on. I spread it out with a plastic card, after that it pretty much self levels. I left it to cure and it looked promising, all of the cracks were filled and there was about a 2 mm layer of resin over the entire panel.
I was pleased with the result, so I put it on the garage roof and connected it up. A month later I went up to check and noticed it was yellowing... 3 months later the resin was cracking, eventually it started flaking off.
Eventually I asked a friend who is a boat builder and he confirmed that the resin is not UV stable. However you may know of a product he isn't aware of, perhaps UV resin and a clear lacquer? Have you had any success? Let me know in the comments.
In conclusion, if you have damaged solar panels, use them as is or recycle them. You could try roof and gutter silicon in any gaping holes in the cracked glass, it would be better than nothing. A sheet of glass to cover it all would be too expensive, but to further strengthen solar panels for an important purpose like in a remote area, yes that might be a good idea.
A much better option than attempting to repair them is the obvious... get new or used solar panels that are not hail damaged. Eventually I got some that were lightening damaged, the solar bypass diodes were fried. I made a video on my youtube channel where I replaced them.
If you have solar panels, it is worth checking under the plastic cover on the underside. Solar bypass diodes are necessary for full output, they also protect your solar panel from further damaging itself when they are partially shaded.
Links:
UV Resistent Resin on eBay.com: https://ebay.us/CSDD7C
UV Resistent Resin on eBay.com.au: https://ebay.us/ONPmlK
UV Resistent Resin on Amazon.com.au: https://amzn.to/3bUCLDo
Used solar panels on eBay.com: https://ebay.us/84VzZX
Used solar panels on eBay.com.au: https://ebay.us/mm6qVg
Solar panel bypass diodes on eBay.com: https://ebay.us/aEoVn5
Solar panel bypass diodes on eBay Australia: https://ebay.us/vxKWBM
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