Will Damaged Solar Panels Still Work?

There's been an uptick in solar panel purchases in recent years, with more people opting to use them in a bid to save some cash on bills. While made of glass, plastics, and silicon, solar panels are actually quite resilient, even when they've been damaged. If you happen to find your solar panels broken, as long as the underlying tech is still operational, the smashed outer layer shouldn't be too much trouble. However, it can lead to further problems, even if it is working fine on the surface.

Solar panels are made up of solar cells, which in turn are combined together to make a module, and then the panel itself. If the damaged part of the solar panel is the bit that actually captures the sun for operation, you'll likely want to replace the entire device. That said, off-grid enthusiasts have claimed online that their broken solar panels were still 90% operational or in good enough shape to continue with the task after a bit of repair.

If you find the glass and plastic that shield the panels themselves broken, your major concern is the weather. Rainwater and other bad weather will severely damage the hardware, causing it to break beyond repair. Though, if you're installing solar panels outside, you've probably already taken into account anything from rapid temperature changes causing shock or even hailstones pelting the roof, leading to small fractures.

What you will find is that damaged solar panels will function at a lower capacity. Users online have cited that after using a damaged panel, it operated at around 90%, but your mileage may vary. Solar panels have obviously been improved over the years. In various regions, solar panels have to survive hurricanes and drastic temperature changes. You could make repairs yourself with common household quick fixes like epoxy on cracks or smashes, but if your panel isn't weatherproofed, those home remedies could cause more headaches. 

Where you might not be able to easily fix things is if there's a burn or a broken connection. Replacing burnt parts of the solar panel will require dismantling, as this might not just be the actual panel itself. If an electrical fault has caused a burn from the electrical terminal connection, this will be a wiring job. The actual connections between the panels themselves could also become damaged, and depending on how, this will also require some dismantling to attempt to reconnect the now-severed link for full output.

Burnt cells can be repaired, but it's probably best to replace them. As long as these panels are properly maintained, they should last quite a while, even with ongoing damage every year. Be sure to check out common mistakes people make when switching to or installing solar panels, so you can avoid falling into the same traps.