Thanks, all. I agree the climate here is benign (why do you think that I
chose this place?)

Dave: ~6.55 MWh/year, based on a 3.5 kW nominal installation, 40 m2 of
panels, 340 days with sun, average of 5.5 h/day of "useful" sunshine
(the tourist board always say >2500 h/year, but some of that will be at
queer angles). With government subsidies à la Kyoto Protocol, payback
will be at just over 8 years, even counting interest on the investment.
Of course, whether I'll be alive then is another story (I very much
doubt whether I'll be around for the full 40 years, as that will take me
to a gaga 112!!!!! :-) )

Brian

Brian Ellis wrote:

> I'm on the point of ordering a solar panel installation. The PV panels
> are set into an aluminium profile framework, held together with
> stainless steel (presumably 18/8 alloy) screws etc. The installation has
> a projected lifetime of ~40 years. In this timeframe, I'm a wee bittie
> worried about dissimilar metals, exposed to the weather, causing
> corrosion. Granted the surface area of the Al is ginormous, compared to
> that of the hardware, so that the corrosion will not be localised.
>
> The weather here is typically 9 months hot and dry (say, 25 - 47°C, 45 -
> 20% RH resp.), aggravated by direct exposure to the sunlight. The other
> three months are cool with intermittent heavy rain (say, 0 - 25°C, 45%++
> RH).
>
> Would it help to paint onto the hardware (not the profiles) an epoxy
> coating, after the screws have been tightened, to reduce the risk of
> long-term corrosion? If so, what type? How does the epoxy stand up to UV
> exposure over the years?
>
> TIA
>
> Brian
>
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