Solar panels are the front end of your Solar Power system. They are the energy source for your home. If they suffer any cracks then you will experience at least some loss of power. If they are faulty then your Home will probably lose all power.

Solar panels are somewhat fragile. But they are largely protected from day to day damage by their position on the roof, where they are out of reach of most people, pet and vehicles. However, they can be damaged by falling trees or extreme weather conditions.

Minor damage to an individual Solar panel may only have a small impact on the system as a whole. The panel may still produce most of its power, even if it is not as high as it should be. But we should repair this if we want the Solar system to perform optimally. Damage to several panels will quickly add up, and we find we no longer have the power required.

Microcracks - Invisible cracks in the solar panel will lower the energy output. These microcracks can be caused by mechanical stresses such as strong wind flexing the panel, or by an object impact on the surface, such as hail. Occasionally a panel might suffer microcracks while be transported or installed.

Visible Cracks - If part of a solar panel is visible cracked the energy production will be reduced. This is almost proportional to the size of the cracked area, so a broken corner may not cause too much of a problem. But a panel that is cracked down the middle will struggle to develop even half power.

Cabling - These are the connections to the panel rather than the panel itself. But a corroded or damaged cable is still a problem. These are not too difficult to replace provided there is access to the roof.

Age Degradation - Over time the efficiency of a Solar Panel will degrade. This is quite gradual, but after 20 years or so the power output will be noticeably lower, perhaps 80% or what it once was. As the technology is fairly old at this point it is simply time to upgrade to new panels.

Most damage to solar panels will cause some compromise to their performance. Unfortunately, the only solution is to replace the individual panel.