Can solar panels touch each other?
- Lyall Burgess
- 17 hours ago
- 2 min read
With large, fixed frame solar panels it's important that they are not touching each other when installed and that they are appropriately spaced apart. This is true for installations on land (eg. your house roof) as well as aboard your boat. The main reason for this is that solar panels expand and contract with temperature swings during the day & night and there needs to be space between the panels to allow this.
Be sure to leave around 1/2" to 3/4" space between solar panels
Many professional solar installers putting up large solar arrays will use special spacers/tools to maintain a 1/2" or 3/4" space between solar panels. Take for example the Mod Spacer Cam (far right image) which sets the inter-row spacing between solar panels and has a twist-release feature so it will never get stuck.
Leaving the correct spacing around and between solar panels will allow for:
proper ventilation
help prevent overheating
allow room for potential expansion & contraction due to temperature changes
Many of the installs on cruising sailboats are on stern arches, like those from Atlantic Towers, and it's important to leave appropriate spacing between panels and using mounting systems that can accommodate movement. Being on a boat there may be extra forces exerted on the panels with the motion and movement of the boat over waves and in swell etc. that could cause the panels to rub against each other.
2x panel installs
2x panel installs spaced well apart
3x panel installs
a) well-spaced b) well-spaced c) not well-spaced
With 3x panel (and greater) installs it's important to space the panels correctly so that the middle one is not "sandwiched" and unable to expand & contract. This has the potential to buckle the panel, crack the glass top sheet and/or damage the solar cells inside the panel.
Thermal Cycling (TC)
As we have mentioned, the solar panel frame and glass top sheet expands and contracts but it's also important to remember that so does each solar cell and the interconnect tabs connecting them. There's a standard industry test that involves placing a solar panel in an environmental chamber that cycles between -40°C and +85°C five times a day, combined with a high humidity soak (85% RH) at the top part of the cycle. This is called Thermal Cycling (TC) and the test is designed to create accelerated stress to simulate real-world conditions.
Not only does the aluminum frame expand and contract, so too does the glass top sheet and even the solar cells themselves and the interconnect tabs.
The thermal cycling test will expose weaknesses in laminate adhesion and poor soldering joints. Across 35 years and more than 30 million panels, Maxeon's industry-leading R&D investment has toughened up their panels to perform in harsh conditions and they maintain power 2-3x better than the competition. Although panels are not warrantied when installed on your boat it's still good to know that Maxeon has a very low return warranty rate of only 0.005%, as measured across more than 15 million panels.
Have any questions? Don't hesitate to give us a call, Katie & Lyall
