I'm seeking professional, third party advice. We recently had a system of LG NeON R 370 solar panels professionally installed on our home roof- 16 panels, so just under 6kW for the whole system. Unfortunately, the installers did not do a good job. To get the panels up to the roof, they placed them face down (pv side down) on the extension ladder and then used a rope to pull them up the length of the ladder. This resulted in long scratches along the length of almost all of the panels (see attached photo for an example). At the time, the installer said the scratches shouldn't be an issue at all for electrical output or for the long term durability of the system. However, our own research suggests otherwise.
Fortunately, we've raised this to our solar company's attention, and they've been apologetic and (thankfully) willing to make it right. But, they've left us with some options for how we'd prefer they correct the issue (substantial discount, "wait and see" what impact it might have and rectify the issue later if it affects output, replace the panels outright, as well as a couple additional options).
To make an informed choice, I'm hoping to get professional opinions from some folks not otherwise involved in this unfortunate situation about what the likely impact on output and durability will be. To what extent are these scratches likely to affect output? In the short term or the long term? How about for long-term durability? From what I've seen on the internet, the impact on output in the short-term might be limited, though there might be some small effects on output right around the scratches. But, I've read than the scratches may affect output more in the long-term and that the defects might cause the panels to degrade a lot faster than they would otherwise (while also likely invalidating the manufacturer's warranty). But, there are also differences of opinion on this and many of the posts and threads I've found are older. So, given how much technology has changed, I'm wondering (hoping?) that maybe today's panels are better/more durable than older panels?
Also, as a secondary question, a friend suggested trying to use toothpaste to work out the scratches (similar to what you can do on a car scratch). We have not tried this, but I am curious for people's thoughts on whether this is even worth trying. And, even if it might help with the visible scratch (which isn't really my concern), would it change anything about the longer-term effects on output or durability?
Thanks in advance for any and all opinions.
Fortunately, we've raised this to our solar company's attention, and they've been apologetic and (thankfully) willing to make it right. But, they've left us with some options for how we'd prefer they correct the issue (substantial discount, "wait and see" what impact it might have and rectify the issue later if it affects output, replace the panels outright, as well as a couple additional options).
To make an informed choice, I'm hoping to get professional opinions from some folks not otherwise involved in this unfortunate situation about what the likely impact on output and durability will be. To what extent are these scratches likely to affect output? In the short term or the long term? How about for long-term durability? From what I've seen on the internet, the impact on output in the short-term might be limited, though there might be some small effects on output right around the scratches. But, I've read than the scratches may affect output more in the long-term and that the defects might cause the panels to degrade a lot faster than they would otherwise (while also likely invalidating the manufacturer's warranty). But, there are also differences of opinion on this and many of the posts and threads I've found are older. So, given how much technology has changed, I'm wondering (hoping?) that maybe today's panels are better/more durable than older panels?
Also, as a secondary question, a friend suggested trying to use toothpaste to work out the scratches (similar to what you can do on a car scratch). We have not tried this, but I am curious for people's thoughts on whether this is even worth trying. And, even if it might help with the visible scratch (which isn't really my concern), would it change anything about the longer-term effects on output or durability?
Thanks in advance for any and all opinions.