Solar panel long-term reliability

A recent study shows that photovoltaic systems are reliable and operating as expected, with 80% to 90% of all systems performing within 10% of the predicted production or better. This peer-reviewed study was based on the largest to date assessment of 100,000 solar systems. Newer solar panels have even lower rates of degradation, so are likely to produce 85-90% as much electricity after 25 years as they did when new. The lifespan of a solar panel is much longer than its “energy payback time,” or the time it takes for a solar panel to produce enough clean energy to “pay back” the energy that was used in its manufacturing processes.


Sources:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/pip.3262
https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy12osti/51664.pdf
https://news.energysage.com/how-long-do-solar-panels-last/