REC solar panels reviews
Based on 515 ratings Aus Ranking
- 5 star 398
- 4 star 110
- 3 star 4
- 2 star 2
- 1 star 1
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REC is short for Renewable Energy Corporation. The company was founded in Norway but now carries out all production in Singapore and the company is owned by the giant Chinese chemical corporation Bluestar that is also known as ChemChina.
They produce tier one panels with 20 year product warranty (or 25 years, depending on whether they're installed by a REC certified installer) and a 25 year performance warranty. They are certified as corrosion resistant. REC has an Australian office in Melbourne.
A US Company Has A Similar Name
There is a company in the United States called REC Solar that installs commercial scale solar for businesses. They do not make their own solar panels. It is easy to confuse the two when looking for information on REC.
REC Solar Manufacturing Capacity
REC is medium sized producer of solar panels. They shipped 1.34 gigawatts of panels in 2017. This was more than what was installed in all of Australia that year. They claim their Australian sales in 2017 were the highest they have ever been. To the end of 2019, the company says it had shipped 10 gigawatts of REC solar panels (cumulative total).
Company History
REC was founded in Norway in 1996 under the name Fornybar Energi AS and produced its first silicon wafer in 1997. It became REC after merging with another company in 2000. By taking advantage of Norway’s comparatively cheap hydroelectric power, for a period at the start of the century they become the world’s largest producer of multicrystaline silicon wafers used to make solar cells.
In 2008 and 2009 REC opened two new multicrystalline wafer factories in Norway. Then the company ran into financial difficulties and shut them down permanently a few years later in 2011 and 2012. In retrospect it doesn't appear to be a very bright move, but these are the sort of mistakes companies make when they decide for some reason not to predict the future with 100% accuracy.
In 2010 they started production of solar panels in Singapore and REC expanded capacity at this facility. This is currently their only manufacturing site.
In 2015 REC Solar was bought by the Norwegian company Elkem which is owned by the Chinese corporation Bluestar. This makes REC Solar a Chinese owned company that manufactures in Singapore, but for some reason it is still often referred to as a European company. I guess old habits die hard.
They Are Big In Germany
REC started as a European company and they have been able to hold onto market share there. They state that in 2016 they were the number one panel supplier in Germany and in in 2017 they also did well with 15% of the market share. Punitive tariffs on Chinese panels in Europe that don't affect REC were part of this success.
REC Solar Panels
REC produces three series of panels that are of standard size and likely to be used on residential roofs in Australia.
REC N-Peak Energy Panels
REC N-Peak solar panels are available in 305 - 330 watts. The efficiency these panels ranges from 18.3% to 19.8%. They are certified as corrosion resistant, making them suitable for installation in coastal areas.
REC TwinPeak 2 Panels
REC also produces TwinPeak 2 series panels. They are an interesting design because they are divided into top and bottom halves and if one half is shaded it won’t affect the output of the other. This makes them more tolerant to partial shade and soiling than many other panels. But if they are installed where there is no shade it is of little benefit. And like all solar panels they perform terribly when fully shaded.
TwinPeak 2 panels come in both polycrystalline and monocrystalline versions.
Polycrystalline TwinPeak 2 panels have an efficiency of 16.5% - 18.0%, while the monocrystalline version has an efficiency range of 18.0% - 19.2%.
Because TwinPeak 2 panels are made with silicon and aluminium that is produced mostly with hydroelectric power rather than fossil fuels, they are certified in Europe as having a low carbon footprint.
TwinPeaks Packaging
If you go to this page here and download their packaging specifications, you'll see that TwinPeak panels come wrapped in plastic. This fact makes me as happy as that gum I like coming back in style.
REC Alpha Solar Panels
In 2019, the company unveiled its Alpha Series solar panels. REC said it was the highest power 60-cell module in the world at that point in time. The Alpha offers a panel efficiency of up to 21.7%.
REC Solar Panel Failure Rate
On the REC site they state:
“...out of 4 million panels manufactured each year, just 400 might come back as product claims.”
In other words their failure rate is around 1 in 10,000. While those seem like good odds, they don’t say this is the predicted failure rate over the panel’s lifespan. It instead appears to be their failure rate when they are new, which isn’t quite as impressive as if it was over 25 years, but it is still pretty good.
REC Is Ranked As A Financially Secure Solar Panel Manufacturer
Solar panel manufacture is a very competitive business and many companies have gone bust, leaving customers without warranty support.
But the clouds over REC are extremely tenuous. They’re more of a light mist, really. Because of the company’s financial stability, REC was ranked as the panel producer least likely to go belly up back in 2016.
Warranty Claim Procedure For Orphaned REC Customers
If your original installer is no longer operating and you need to make a warranty claim, you should contact REC on 03 9020 2056. They have a network of REC certified installers that they can dispatch to diagnose any issues and handle replacement under warranty. If your original installer was REC certified, labor costs involved with warranty replacement are covered. If they were not - labor costs are not covered.
My Recommendation
REC produce quality tier one solar panels and I would have no problem installing them on my roof.
REC Solar Panel Reviews
5, 10 plus year ratings may be more significant?
Bought From: Progress Electrical Central Coast Show additional information
Bought From: Skylight Energy Show additional information
Bought From: OTI Power QLD Show additional information
The new owners will reap the advantage of solar power.
Bought From: Progress Electrical Newcastle Show additional information
Bought From: Apex Solar and Electrical Pty Ltd Show additional information
Bought From: Progress Electrical Newcastle Show additional information
Bought From: Energy Matters Show additional information
Bought From: RK Solar And Consulting NSW Show additional information
8 months later : Just love those panels. When the time comes to sell the house, our add will read : "Solar panels for sale - house attached."
Bought From: Magic Electrical Services Show additional information
Bought From: Country Solar NT Show additional information
Bought From: Solaire Connect Show additional information
Bought From: Energy Storage Direct Show additional information
Bought From: Power 4 All Electrical Show additional information
Bought From: DJM Electrical Show additional information
Bought From: Roland Lawrence Electrical Show additional information
Bought From: Jet Solar Melbourne GC Show additional information
Bought From: I Want Energy Show additional information
No problems and we have had some very windy times so the mountings would have been tested well. All working well as expected.
Bought From: Velocity Solar Geelong Show additional information
Bought From: Liberated Energy Show additional information
Bought From: Solaire Connect Show additional information
I wanted a top tier panel with leading edge technology manufactured to the highest standards to give me some reassurance that the performance I'm getting now I should get in 15-20 years' time, and I was prepared to pay a bit more for that.
I have absolutely no regrets with my choice of REC Alpha.
Bought From: Solaire Connect Show additional information
Bought From: I Want Energy Show additional information
REC has 32 solar panels in our database
Model | Type | Size | PTC | Performance Ratio | Californian Approved |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
REC205PE (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 205 | 182 | 88.78 | Yes |
REC205PE(BLK) (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 205 | 182 | 88.78 | Yes |
REC210PE (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 210 | 186 | 88.57 | Yes |
REC210PE(BLK) (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 210 | 186 | 88.57 | Yes |
REC215PE (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 215 | 191 | 88.84 | Yes |
REC215PE(BLK) (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 215 | 191 | 88.84 | Yes |
REC220PE (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 220 | 195 | 88.64 | Yes |
REC220PE(BLK) (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 220 | 195 | 88.64 | Yes |
REC225PE (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 225 | 200 | 88.89 | Yes |
REC225PE(BLK) (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 225 | 200 | 88.89 | Yes |
REC230PE (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 230 | 204 | 88.70 | Yes |
REC230PE(BLK) (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 230 | 204 | 88.70 | Yes |
REC235PE (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 235 | 213 | 90.64 | Yes |
REC235PE ECO (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 235 | 211 | 89.79 | Yes |
REC235PE(BLK) (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 235 | 213 | 90.64 | Yes |
REC240PE (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 240 | 218 | 90.83 | Yes |
REC240PE ECO (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 240 | 215 | 89.58 | Yes |
REC240PE(BLK) (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 240 | 218 | 90.83 | Yes |
REC245PE (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 245 | 223 | 91.02 | Yes |
REC245PE ECO (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 245 | 220 | 89.80 | Yes |
REC245PE(BLK) (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 245 | 223 | 91.02 | Yes |
REC250PE (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 250 | 227 | 90.80 | Yes |
REC250PE ECO (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 250 | 225 | 90.00 | Yes |
REC250PE(BLK) (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 250 | 227 | 90.80 | Yes |
REC255PE (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 255 | 230 | 90.20 | Yes |
REC255PE(BLK) (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 255 | 230 | 90.20 | Yes |
REC260PE (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 260 | 234 | 90.00 | Yes |
REC260PE(BLK) (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 260 | 234 | 90.00 | Yes |
REC265PE (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 265 | 241 | 90.94 | Yes |
REC265PE(BLK) (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 265 | 241 | 90.94 | Yes |
REC270PE (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 270 | 246 | 91.11 | Yes |
REC270PE(BLK) (60 poly cells) | Polycrystalline | 270 | 246 | 91.11 | Yes |