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Solar & battery

Solar Replacement Calculator

When replacing solar equipment pays, comparing degraded output against the cost of new.

Your numbers

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Result

Current annual production 6,999 kWh
Lost to degradation 801 kWh per year
New system production 11,700 kWh per year
Extra production if replaced 4,701 kWh per year
Payback on the replacement 18.9 Years
After 18 years the array makes 6,999 kWh, down 801 kWh from new. Replacing with 9 kW adds 4,701 kWh a year and pays back in about 18.9 years.

Panels rarely fail outright; they fade slowly and usually still work at 25 years. The case for replacing is normally about fitting more capacity on the same roof with better modules, or a roof that needs replacing anyway, rather than about degradation. Removing and refitting an array during roof work is a real cost that belongs in this comparison.

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Questions

About this calculator

Do panels just stop working?

Very seldom. They degrade slowly and most 25 year old arrays still produce 80% or more. Inverters are the component that actually fails.

When is repowering worth it?

Usually when the roof needs replacing anyway, or when modern panels would fit substantially more capacity into the same area. Both change the arithmetic far more than degradation does.

The formula

current output = new output x (1 - degradation)^age; payback = cost / (extra kWh x rate)

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