Solar Panel Warranties and How to Make Your Solar Panels Out Live Them

When it comes to solar panel installations you are going to want to ensure that you get the best products for your needs. But it’s not just the solar panels and solar inverters that you need to make sure are up to your standards, you should ensure that their warranties are as well.

What Is a Solar Panel Warranty?

When it comes to your solar panel installation, your solar panels are going to have two different warranties: there is the performance-based solar panel warranty and the equipment based solar panel guarantee. The solar panels performance warranties are typically going to guarantee 90% production at 10 years and 80% at 25%. When it comes to an equipment warranty, it is typically going to guarantee 10-12 without failing.

The solar panels product warranty insurance will cover the integrity of the solar panel itself and is going to protect you against issues like solar panel manufacturing defects, environmental issues, and the premature wear and tear. Like most warranties, the longer periods generally are more advantageous to you, if your own your solar power system. When you evaluate the solar panels warranty and its manufacturer, two of the most important factors that you need to focus on are the product or the materials warranty and the performance warranty.

The Issues That a Good Solar Panel Warranty Can Stop

When you install a solar power system on your home and business, in most cases, your solar panels are going to work problem-free for decades. There could be issues that might occur from time to time with solar panels. But it is important if you want to understand that the rest of your solar power system isn’t going to be inoperable, but not by a long shot.

In most cases, it is going to depend on the nature of the solar panels of failure, the rest of your solar power system it is going to continue to generate solar power with the broken solar panel, But on occasion they solar panels are going to fail in ways that will impact the performance of the neighboring solar panels. But in both cases, the solar panels product warranty is going to be an insurance that is going to cover you but just in case you do get bad solar panels that are going to be swapped out for new ones. You should keep in mind that the cost of a single solar panel is going to range between $150 to $300.

In the case that you do plan on evaluating and comparing the different product warranties the coverage of the solar panel manufacturers, it can assure homeowners that their service and the support needs can be covered if there is an issue with the solar panels. There are going to be manufacturers product warranties that will be vital when it comes to choosing not only the solar panels manufactures technical specifications but the business practices as well. In the case where the solar panels do fail, the manufacturer is going to send you replacement solar panels and is often going to pat for the shipping and the labor costs to replace it.  

How Long Do Solar Panels Last?

Another thing that is vital when it comes to solar panel installation, is going be the question of how long solar panels last. Solar panels typically have a lifetime warranty of 25 years, some solar panels are going offer a 30-year warranty, but that isn’t going to be the typical lifespan of solar panels is considered to be 25 years, but in most studies, after 25 years the solar panels are still going to work, but they have a reduced production rate.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) did a study in 2012 that found, the average solar panel output by 0.8% per year. This decline in renewable energy production is referred to as the solar panel degradation rate.

This is going to be the rate that each panel declines will vary based on the brand that you buy. But the solar panel technology is advancing, the rate that the solar panels degrade is improving as well.

However, since the study was done, there might have been a lot of improvements in the technological department and 78% of the newer solar panels that have cut their degradation rates to 0.5% yearly.

The solar panels warranty insurances that the 25-year warranty, the solar panels are expected to maintain at least 80% of their rated output. Their warranty is going to be the manufacturer’s guarantee that the solar panels are going to operate at their exact or near their peak levels of efficiency for 25 years.

The solar panels' warranty is going to insinuate that at the end of its 25-year warranty, a 300-watt solar panel should still be producing at least 240 watts.

Can Your Solar Panels Outlast Their Warranties?

So most solar panel manufacturers are going to test their solar panels to make sure that they can withstand real-world conditions like high winds and a lot of snowfall without breaking. They are tested to make sure that they can handle hail storms without breaking.

Because solar panels aren’t going to have parts that are moving they are relatively low maintenance, and the best thing that you can do to make sure that your solar panels last a long time is by hiring a good solar installer.

You are also going to want to make sure that you buy the solar panels that have long warranties. Most solar manufacturers offer a 10-12 year solar panel warranty that covers defects and damages that care caused by the environment.

If you keep your solar panels well maintained it can help you lower the degradation rate and it is going to help your solar power system last longer and the solar panels are going to have higher efficiency for longer amounts of time.