posted 13 years ago
Oddly enough, what shortens the life of solar panels is the sun! With equal light, they will produce more electricity at 70 degrees than they will at 90+ degrees. The tape may trap more heat, therefore causing them to fail earlier than if left alone. Since days are long, and nights are short this time of year, you might experiment putting a piece of window screen over them to filter the direct rays of the sun. As the days shorten, you can simply remove the screen to get maximum charge for the longer nights ahead.