Life expectancy of a domestic PV system

[sophiecentaur]

We are buying a house which has a Ten Panel PV installation that has ben running since 2011. The installation is effectively for free. I have seen several figures about the expected reduction in output power but I'm wondering about other processes, apart from the cells getting old, that could affect how many more years of use I can expect. This site is on the Thames Estuary in UK (52°N ish) and the roof slopes to the South. The ten panel installation seems to be a standard package and there is room for a lot more - if the existing system performance is encouraging. Unfortunately there's no one to ask about it as it's a Probate sale.

There's another issue with the tile roof which will need attention in the not too distant future. Accepted wisdom seems to indicate that the cost of removing and replacing the panels during the roofing operation would be significant. Now, those tiles have been protected to some extent for 13 years by the panels; would that affect their probable life expectancy?. HAs anyone any experience of this and is there any useful advice I need. I am well aware that I should 'do things properly' but the house needs a fair bit of money spent and . . .

Feel free to discuss and tell me I'm just an old skinflint.

 

[Baluncore]

The tile roof will have been protected by the panels.

How many kW of grid-tie inverter?
How many strings can it support?
How many strings are now installed?
Does the wind and rain keep it clean?

Panels are cheap, the supporting racks, and the electricians to do the installation are expensive.

Keep using it while it works. If it fails, replace it with an economic investment bundle, new everything. If you need more power and have a spare string, add one string to the existing system.

If you buy the house, make sure you insure the panels with the house. A hailstorm, hurricane, or an SS Richard Montgomery, could see one or two panels being damaged by ice or debris.
The repair procedure should be to replace all with a matched set of new panels. Mixed and unmatched strings are a real problem when the currents and MPP are different. Replacing one panel can physically cause earth leakage in others, so avoid unnecessary disturbance.