Why is the solar panel performance warranty often not worth the paper it's written on?

You’re probably expecting a 20+ year warranty on any solar panels. Indeed, almost every solar manufacturer offers 25-year warranties against their product. It’s kind of an industry standard.

But, truth be told, those 25 or even 30 years warranties are quite worthless. Allow us to explain.

Written in the best legalese possible, solar warranties are rarely what they seem. They also come with plenty of exit clauses that can render them useless. This is why you need to really pay attention to both what’s written on the contract and the product’s spec sheet to really know what you’re getting.

You also need to arm yourself with the right questions for your installer so that no details are missed.

Which Types Of Solar Panel Warranties Exist?

Solar panels come with two warranties: a product and a performance guarantee. Both warranties are offered by the panel manufacturer. This means it's the responsibility of the manufacturer to ensure that the warranty conditions are met.

Product Warranty

Product warranties are very straightforward. If due to no fault of your own, a panel stops working or performs poorly you are entitled to a replacement. For quality solar panels, you can expect a product warranty of 10-12 years.

Performance Warranty

The performance warranty promises that the performance of your solar panels doesn’t fall under a certain point. The performance warranty for quality solar panels will typically ensure that your panel’s performance is 90% at 10 years and 80% or more at 25 years. This is one major reason to choose quality solar panels because they come with a better performance warranty.

Why Does The Product Warranty Even Matter?

Warranties just like insurance are quite pointless if the service provider tries to wiggle their way out of them when push comes to shove. This is where a solar partner on your side can help you out.

For this reason, it is important that you choose quality solar panels that come with a performance warranty which guarantees your system’s output will be at least 80% at 25 years.

Strong warranties make solar a safe and smart investment. Find out how much you can save with solar by contacting us so one of our solar specialists can give you an accurate quote.