{"id":24132,"date":"2018-10-02T11:50:25","date_gmt":"2018-10-02T01:20:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=24132"},"modified":"2018-10-02T15:02:20","modified_gmt":"2018-10-02T04:32:20","slug":"sunpower-solar-product-warranty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/sunpower-solar-product-warranty\/","title":{"rendered":"Is SunPower’s Product Warranty All It’s Cracked Up To Be?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"cracked

Is cracked silicon a defect that should be covered under the Product Warranty? Or is a crack only a defect if if affects performance?<\/p><\/div>\n

When it comes to solar panel manufacturers, SunPower<\/a> is basically royalty.\u00a0 At 33 years old I can’t think of any solar panel focused company that’s survived longer.\u00a0 It was founded in 1985 by Richard Swanson who is a solar panel genius.\u00a0 By that I mean he’s been an important figure in field of solar photovoltaics and not that he’s a talking solar panel or something.<\/p>\n

\"solar

A solar panel genius.<\/p><\/div>\n

When it comes to solar panels that go on roofs or in solar farms, SunPower’s are the most efficient in the world.\u00a0 And I do mean in<\/em> the world.\u00a0 While you can get specialised solar panels with even higher efficiencies, they are often shot into space and so are more out of this world than in it.<\/p>\n

While famous for producing high efficiency panels, I’d say SunPower’s main claim to fame is being the first to provide a 25 year product warranty.\u00a0 LG Solar<\/a> recently matched this<\/a> but it took them many years to do so1<\/a><\/sup>.\u00a0 Australia’s Tindo Solar<\/a> has also started offering a 25 year product warranty for panels purchased directly from them or through an authorized reseller.\u00a0 A 25 year product warranty is much more impressive and useful than the 25 year performance warranty<\/a> that is standard in the industry.\u00a0 At the moment the world’s largest solar panel manufacturers2<\/a><\/sup> still only offer a 10 year product warranty.<\/p>\n

SunPower was able to provide a 25 year product warranty because they produce high quality panels.\u00a0 If you visit their website<\/a> you’ll see they are happy to tell you they’re all about quality.\u00a0 They even have a quality statement:<\/p>\n

“At SunPower, world-class quality leadership is a top priority. All of our employees share the responsibility to sustain and improve product quality and services for our customers – internal and external. We are committed to achieving world-class quality through operational excellence, continual improvement and satisfying customer needs in everything we do.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

They also have a quote from their CEO, Tom Werner, where he mentions many high quality phrases such as:<\/p>\n

“…world class product quality and reliability…highest quality products…worthy of our customers’ trust…highest quality standards….continual quality improvement and customer satisfaction…continually improve…world class quality performance.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Of course all this quality comes at a price and SunPower panels carry a hefty premium over solar panels with less impressive product warranties.\u00a0 But plenty of customers have been willing to pay that premium for the peace of mind a 25 year product warranty provides.\u00a0 But is SunPower’s warranty everything it’s cracked up to be?\u00a0 And are they truly committed to “…satisfying customer needs in everything we do”?\u00a0 Well, the answer to that is — maybe.\u00a0 I’ll tell you about a problem a home owner had and you can decide yourself if SunPower’s response was fair enough or — considering that the home owner paid for top of the line premium panels — should SunPower have handled it differently?<\/p>\n

The Problem<\/h2>\n

They say a picture’s worth a thousand words but these aren’t that great so I think they may only be worth about 300 each:<\/p>\n

\"Cracks<\/p>\n

The dark lines you can see are the result of cracks in SunPower solar cells.\u00a0 Those cracks shouldn’t be there as solar panels are much better off without them.\u00a0 These photos were taken by a home owner and since he may not want me to say who he is I’ll just refer to him as Gary<\/a> because I think that’s a lovely name.\u00a0 I wanted to name my first child Gary but my wife wouldn’t let me because apparently it’s somehow not suitable for a girl3<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n

I think it’s likely the cracks were already there when the panels were installed seven years ago in 2011.\u00a0 It’s possible they’ve expanded over time.\u00a0 The solar cells are also kind of brown.\u00a0 This is caused by a reaction between the surface of solar cells and chemicals used to treat the glass.\u00a0 While this looks like it would reduce performance because the panels are less dark than they were and so reflect more light, I have read that losses caused by browning are small and difficult to distinguish from the general slow deterioration that results from age.\u00a0 But the fact a browning reaction hasn’t occurred around the cracks indicates they affect the electrical characteristics of the cell.<\/p>\n

Why Cracks Are Bad<\/h2>\n

Fine cracks in solar cells are usually called either microcracks or hairline cracks.\u00a0 They’re bad because they reduce the performance of panels.\u00a0 One small crack where the silicon on either side remains in close contact has little effect and the reduction in output it causes may not be easily measurable.\u00a0 But multiple cracks result in clear decreases in performance.<\/p>\n

Ideally no solar panel should leave the factory with a crack in it.\u00a0 Unfortunately, lower quality panels can come pre-cracked for your inconvenience. Certainly no SunPower panel should leave the factory with a crack in it.\u00a0 Tindo Solar make a big deal<\/a> about how not one of their panels goes out the door with a crack and if Australians can manage that then Americans — who are like gods to us4<\/a><\/sup> — certainly should be able to.<\/p>\n

It is possible for impacts during transport to result in cracks as well as rough handling during installation, such as kneeling or walking on panels.\u00a0 After installation cracks can appear from being flexed in strong winds, especially if they aren’t properly clamped<\/a>, or from heavy hail.\u00a0 Snow buildup can also cause cracks but that’s usually not a problem in Australia.<\/p>\n

Cracks may not cause a significant problem at first but they can get worse over time.\u00a0 Solar panels expand when they warm up and contract when they cool down.\u00a0 This thermal expansion and contraction can gradually cause cracks to lengthen and expand and over time can damage electrical contacts.\u00a0 In severe cases this can lead to the entire panel failing.\u00a0 This means cracks that cause no real problem now can, years later, result in a solar panel with poor output that drags down the performance of your system.<\/p>\n

SunPower panels have a copper backing that will, hopefully, limit damage from thermal expansion.\u00a0 But looking at the thermal expansion coefficients<\/a> for copper and silicon I see they are:<\/p>\n