re: Does the left really believe we can power the entire country on solar and wind?

quote:

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Solar cells last longer than 25 years. They do degrade but don’t go to zero and the degradation is percentile based (about .5% annually) therefore the total wattage loss decreases with age. And battery tech lasts longer than 5 years. The reality is long term cycle testing is infantile at best and most should go north of 10. There is plenty of information that’s not easily asseccible that says they last quite a while and many of the big manufacturers are stepping up their warranties. As an example, Panasonic warranties their panels at far less than .5% per year degradation.

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Well done.

100% correct.

I might add that degradation can be slowed by lowering temperatures over the life of the panels ... which currently is being done by incorporating cooling systems that either passively produce hot water or heat homes via conduction radiation much like the old oil filled radiator systems that used to be common in old buildings.

Modern charge controllers and inverters make systems far more user friendly these days and extend both the life of the panels and the battery banks.