I feel the failure mode should be pretty good though, degrade to a normal solar setup - probably with less airflow and higher temps but not worse than that.
Heat degrades panel longevity too so I'd actually assume a water-cooled system to outlive a normal one, in the long run I would be surprised if it wouldn't end up being cheaper.
I do agree with the simplicity of a solid state setup though. Whether it makes sense probably depends on where you live. Thinking about it, temporarily running "warm" water might help with keeping snow away, though I am aware that many setups won't generate much in the winter anyway.
Heat degrades panel longevity too so I'd actually assume a water-cooled system to outlive a normal one, in the long run I would be surprised if it wouldn't end up being cheaper.
I do agree with the simplicity of a solid state setup though. Whether it makes sense probably depends on where you live. Thinking about it, temporarily running "warm" water might help with keeping snow away, though I am aware that many setups won't generate much in the winter anyway.