Bought 48 seven year old BP 150 watt solar panels...

softdown
softdown Solar Expert Posts: 3,896 ✭✭✭✭
in Off Grid Solar & Battery Systems #1
Looked hard for panels with matching architecture (24 volt, 72 cell, 5" cells) to place facing east and facing west. Topoint panels are still available in that configuration...including from our host...Northern Arizona Wind & Sun...at a reasonable cost. Shipping fees on large solar panels is a bit stiff because they are too large for UPS/FedEX.

My search eventually led me to seven year old panels from an out of state commercial roof tear off. They include 5 1/2" of backing with foam and cement board. Bringing the weight to 77 pounds/panel. Shipping was then out of the question.

A bright side is that no racking is needed. These are built to attach directly to the roof. A strong roof is needed for the weight...of course.

So now I prepare for a 2500 mile round trip odyssey to make these panels economically feasible. Good thing I have a strong trailer as the weight will be ~4000 pounds with the pallets.

Is anybody familiar with these BP panels? This 24 volt, 72 cell, 5"cell, 62" x 31" configuration has been made by BP, Topoint, Sanyo, Canadian Solar, and Mitsubishi. Production was discontinued in 2014 as manufacturers have moved to 6" cells and greater output.
First Bank:16 180 watt Grape Solar with  FM80 controller and 3648 Inverter....Fullriver 8D AGM solar batteries. Second Bank/MacGyver Special: 10 165(?) watt BP Solar with Renogy MPPT 40A controller/ and Xantrex C-35 PWM controller/ and Morningstar PWM controller...Cotek 24V PSW inverter....forklift and diesel locomotive batteries
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  • Vic
    Vic Solar Expert Posts: 3,208 ✭✭✭✭
    #2
    Please be a bit cautious, some BP PVs in this size range have had numerous field-failures. BB Bill had his BP 160-s (IIRC or were they 175?) all replaced a few years ago, IIRC.

    BTW, I bought 12 SW 265 W PVs from Wind-Sun. The freight from AZ to N. CA was about $330.

    Did you ever get a freight quote from Wind-Sun??

    You really MUST love to drive!

    The Shell 175s at one location here (the 5.25kW array) are 72 cell modules, 32" X 64" nominal dimensions. They are a little over 10 years old. SolarWorld bought Shell Solar, and also made this size PV for a fairly short time ...

    Vic
    Off Grid - Two systems -- 4 SW+ 5548 Inverters, Surrette 4KS25 1280 AH X2@48V, 11.1 KW STC PV, 4X MidNite Classic 150 w/ WBjrs, Beta KID on S-530s, MX-60s, MN Bkrs/Boxes.  25 KVA Polyphase Kubota diesel,  Honda Eu6500isa,  Eu3000is-es, Eu2000,  Eu1000 gensets.  Thanks Wind-Sun for this great Forum.
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  • softdown
    softdown Solar Expert Posts: 3,896 ✭✭✭✭
    #3
    Well that isn't the news that I wanted though not really unexpected. With the price that I got, I'll still be OK if half of them are good.

    But dang....replacing all of his 160 watt panels? I wonder how many years old they were.

    Did get a freight quote. It was competitive enough.

    Driving? Guess I don't mind it. Lower gas prices help a lot. 281 c.i. engine gets much better mileage than the 488 c.i. engine did. If I can save a couple hundred with a days drive....I'll probably do it.
    First Bank:16 180 watt Grape Solar with  FM80 controller and 3648 Inverter....Fullriver 8D AGM solar batteries. Second Bank/MacGyver Special: 10 165(?) watt BP Solar with Renogy MPPT 40A controller/ and Xantrex C-35 PWM controller/ and Morningstar PWM controller...Cotek 24V PSW inverter....forklift and diesel locomotive batteries
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  • softdown
    softdown Solar Expert Posts: 3,896 ✭✭✭✭
    #4
    Unbelievable....I did a web search for BP 150 watt panel information. Found this thread a few minutes after posting it.
    First Bank:16 180 watt Grape Solar with  FM80 controller and 3648 Inverter....Fullriver 8D AGM solar batteries. Second Bank/MacGyver Special: 10 165(?) watt BP Solar with Renogy MPPT 40A controller/ and Xantrex C-35 PWM controller/ and Morningstar PWM controller...Cotek 24V PSW inverter....forklift and diesel locomotive batteries
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,613 admin
    #5
    Bp-175 about 6 years old when they started to fail. Probably 1/2 of the 20 were failed.

    BP did stand by their warranty and replaced all of them.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • softdown
    softdown Solar Expert Posts: 3,896 ✭✭✭✭
    #6
    Hmmm....their ad states that the buyer gets whatever is left of the warranty. Surely pro-rated. Seller says the building is 7 years old. So...worst case...panels may be almost ten years old.

    I have a suspicion these panels were replaced under warranty. Seller got them for very little from BP. Seller installed new panels from BP. Thats my suspicion.

    Apparently my "golden deal" is not so golden. I thought solar panels lasted a very long time.
    BB. wrote: »
    Bp-175 about 6 years old when they started to fail. Probably 1/2 of the 20 were failed.

    BP did stand by their warranty and replaced all of them.

    -Bill

    First Bank:16 180 watt Grape Solar with  FM80 controller and 3648 Inverter....Fullriver 8D AGM solar batteries. Second Bank/MacGyver Special: 10 165(?) watt BP Solar with Renogy MPPT 40A controller/ and Xantrex C-35 PWM controller/ and Morningstar PWM controller...Cotek 24V PSW inverter....forklift and diesel locomotive batteries
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,613 admin
    #7
    They can, but I don't know anything about those panels. Can call BP and ask.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • littleharbor2
    littleharbor2 Solar Expert Posts: 2,102 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #8
    For what it's worth I bought 200 BP-150 watt panels from a re roof job on a Target store in So. Cal. I had only one of the 200 that had low output. These were the older BP panels with the blue back sheet.. so early BP/Solarex vintage. Not sure if BP produced this wattage for long but the 2004ish 170 and 175 watt panels definitely had problems with the output cable connections pulling loose and giving erratic voltage readings as well as overheating/scorching in the bussing behind the junction cover. The scorching can be quite obvious from the front side of the panels. These problems really gave BP Solar a black eye. BP ended up replacing large amounts of panels although never announced an actual recall.
    If your panels have the blue back sheet they are likely the older Approx. 2002 vintage.

    2.1 Kw Suntech 175 mono, Classic 200, Trace SW 4024 ( 15 years old  but brand new out of sealed factory box Jan. 2015), Bogart Tri-metric,  460 Ah. 24 volt LiFePo4 battery bank. Plenty of Baja Sea of Cortez sunshine.

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  • softdown
    softdown Solar Expert Posts: 3,896 ✭✭✭✭
    #9
    BP Solar was one of the worlds largest panel manufacturers....
    BP Solar was closed down on Dec. 21, 2011: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BP_Solar
    First Bank:16 180 watt Grape Solar with  FM80 controller and 3648 Inverter....Fullriver 8D AGM solar batteries. Second Bank/MacGyver Special: 10 165(?) watt BP Solar with Renogy MPPT 40A controller/ and Xantrex C-35 PWM controller/ and Morningstar PWM controller...Cotek 24V PSW inverter....forklift and diesel locomotive batteries
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  • softdown
    softdown Solar Expert Posts: 3,896 ✭✭✭✭
    #10
    If unable to reach your installer for warranty information, here is the N. American contact #:
    For customers from Americas (North, Central, South) Telephone Number: 1-800-891-2163 Email Address: bpsolarwarranties.us@bp.com
    First Bank:16 180 watt Grape Solar with  FM80 controller and 3648 Inverter....Fullriver 8D AGM solar batteries. Second Bank/MacGyver Special: 10 165(?) watt BP Solar with Renogy MPPT 40A controller/ and Xantrex C-35 PWM controller/ and Morningstar PWM controller...Cotek 24V PSW inverter....forklift and diesel locomotive batteries
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  • softdown
    softdown Solar Expert Posts: 3,896 ✭✭✭✭
    #11
    Thank you....this boosted my confidence considerably. Since these are the 150 watt vintage....good chance I may be fine.

    You bought 200? Did real well getting 199 winners....

    I think they may have let me check voltage if I was buying far fewer. A guy trying to get 48 of the "best" panels could be a pain...

    May not be able to check the back sheet. There is no frame. The panels are attached to about 60 pounds of backing for roof top application.

    Didn't see your post before my morning posts.

    littleharbor2 wrote: »
    For what it's worth I bought 200 BP-150 watt panels from a re roof job on a Target store in So. Cal. I had only one of the 200 that had low output. These were the older BP panels with the blue back sheet.. so early BP/Solarex vintage. Not sure if BP produced this wattage for long but the 2004ish 170 and 175 watt panels definitely had problems with the output cable connections pulling loose and giving erratic voltage readings as well as overheating/scorching in the bussing behind the junction cover. The scorching can be quite obvious from the front side of the panels. These problems really gave BP Solar a black eye. BP ended up replacing large amounts of panels although never announced an actual recall.
    If your panels have the blue back sheet they are likely the older Approx. 2002 vintage.
    First Bank:16 180 watt Grape Solar with  FM80 controller and 3648 Inverter....Fullriver 8D AGM solar batteries. Second Bank/MacGyver Special: 10 165(?) watt BP Solar with Renogy MPPT 40A controller/ and Xantrex C-35 PWM controller/ and Morningstar PWM controller...Cotek 24V PSW inverter....forklift and diesel locomotive batteries
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  • littleharbor2
    littleharbor2 Solar Expert Posts: 2,102 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #12
    I have bought literally thousands of BP panels. The older ones are rock solid compared to the questionable years. Seems rough handling (tugging) of the output cables has a tendency to cause broken connections. By the time BP recognized the problems and redesigned the junction/output they weren't long for the solar module manufacturing world . Another thing, from my experience , If you're not the original purchaser or at least the present owner of the property where the installation was made they won't honor the warranty on their modules.

    2.1 Kw Suntech 175 mono, Classic 200, Trace SW 4024 ( 15 years old  but brand new out of sealed factory box Jan. 2015), Bogart Tri-metric,  460 Ah. 24 volt LiFePo4 battery bank. Plenty of Baja Sea of Cortez sunshine.

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  • SolarPowered
    SolarPowered Solar Expert Posts: 626 ✭✭✭
    #13
    There is a reason why BP went out of the solar business.
    Atleast sunpower panels when labelled grade B you know what you are getting for sure.
    BP was failing to meet the depreciation guidelines to name plate, and hence had to get into the replacement business more than the sales business.
    Almost very similar to Sanyo's depreciation issues, and were saved at the last moment by panasonic, by inquiring the entire portfolio from batteries, panels, and stereo equipment.

    You can't run a standard VOC test to determine depriciation. The panels have to undergo both a VMP, and VOC test under xenon light bulb. But I'm willing to bet if you plugged each individually into micro inverters you would definitely have the answers.
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  • softdown
    softdown Solar Expert Posts: 3,896 ✭✭✭✭
    #14
    You must be a book reader. Such eloquence....thanks.
    littleharbor2 wrote: »
    I have bought literally thousands of BP panels. The older ones are rock solid compared to the questionable years. Seems rough handling (tugging) of the output cables has a tendency to cause broken connections. By the time BP recognized the problems and redesigned the junction/output they weren't long for the solar module manufacturing world . Another thing, from my experience , If you're not the original purchaser or at least the present owner of the property where the installation was made they won't honor the warranty on their modules.

    First Bank:16 180 watt Grape Solar with  FM80 controller and 3648 Inverter....Fullriver 8D AGM solar batteries. Second Bank/MacGyver Special: 10 165(?) watt BP Solar with Renogy MPPT 40A controller/ and Xantrex C-35 PWM controller/ and Morningstar PWM controller...Cotek 24V PSW inverter....forklift and diesel locomotive batteries
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  • softdown
    softdown Solar Expert Posts: 3,896 ✭✭✭✭
    #15
    They are now sold out of the BP 150 watt panels. Wanted to sell me some BP 170 watt panels. Based on the advice here...I passed on that. Think I may know more about the panels than the seller at this point in time...
    First Bank:16 180 watt Grape Solar with  FM80 controller and 3648 Inverter....Fullriver 8D AGM solar batteries. Second Bank/MacGyver Special: 10 165(?) watt BP Solar with Renogy MPPT 40A controller/ and Xantrex C-35 PWM controller/ and Morningstar PWM controller...Cotek 24V PSW inverter....forklift and diesel locomotive batteries
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