Tress
Member
I am only seeing a 15 year workmanship warranty and a 25 year output warranty
VBHN320KA01 - PanasonicB2C
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PSA: Tesla solar panels $1.70-$1.99/watt
- Thread starter teethdood
- Start date
VBHN320KA01 - PanasonicB2C
N320K Photovoltaic Module HIT® BLACK, 40mm | Panasonic
- Complete 25-year warranty on linear power output, parts and product workmanship
RFernatt
Solar/EV Owner/Enthusiast
I've had the all black 315W Panasonic panels since Sep 2017 and the warranty was one of selling points for me. The fine print on mine says the panels must be installed by an authorized installer and registered with Panasonic within 60 days after install, so make sure to read and follow the fine print. I had an unauthorized company try to sell me the same panels and it was a big no to them for this reason.
I also extended the SolarEdge warranty to 25 years, so everything is covered.
mspohr
Well-Known Member
I guess I can understand why you might want the security of a warranty but the reality is that the panels are very reliable and the cost is dropping rapidly and capacity rising to the point that in the unlikely event that a panel needed to be replaced in 5 or 10 years the cost would be negligible.
Same for inverters.
Why are folks obsessing about warranty on PV panels?
Think for a moment
No moving parts
Degradation is usually around 0.5%/year
(.995 to the x power)ie after _20_ years is 90%,
My cheap, ASI panels manufactured in the mid-late 1990’s and installed in 1999.
Older technology
Still pushing electrons
Replacing with ones 5x as powerful because reroofing
Read homepower.org for free
Folks there with 40+ yr old panels
They put them on satellites!
They just last without messing with
Don’t drop trees on them tho for many reasons
ASI is amorphous Silicon
Initially abt 3.8% efficiency
4ftx26 inch , 43watt
26sq meter , ~1.36kw
New array, new house 315 watt
59.9sq meter 11.655 kw
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RFernatt
Solar/EV Owner/Enthusiast
Fair points, but a superior warranty from an established company says to me that the product was engineered to go that distance and likely a lot more. Extending the SolarEdge warranty allowed me to take 30% off the cost and I liked the idea that everything was covered for 25 years for potential resale value of the system.
There were other attributes that swayed me to the Panasonics as well (temp coefficient, low degradation - 90% of rating after 25 years, all positive tolerance, aesthetics, etc.). Other panels might be cheaper or slightly better in one area, but at the time, I thought the Panas had the best overall combination of features for the price. There are now LG panels that I would also consider, but Pana has more history.
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There's mention of an Enphase Enpower™ Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS): Enphase Energy CTO To Speak at 2019 NABCEP Conference | Enphase Energy
Perhaps because of this? (Came out this morning):
Exclusive: Tesla's solar factory is exporting most of its cells - document - Reuters
Right, it make sense to sell the extra but you would think Tesla would secure enough Panasonic solar panel to supply their own solar install.
Chancellor32
Member
People here in AZ have been getting quoted the
Hanwha Q.PEAK DUO BLK-G5 / SC 310-320 Panels. No Panasonic.
Hanwha Q.PEAK DUO BLK-G5 / SC 310-320 Panels. No Panasonic.
Chancellor32
Member
It’s definitely strange, something is going on with Tesla solar/Panasonic. Are your panels the all black ones?
Chancellor32
Member
It is nothing weird, hanwha is cheaper than panasonic, so Tesla can sell at discounted rate to boost solar business. It is not a production problem.
When did you get the proposal?
What's the size of the system/number of panels? And this is LA? I'm in the SF area and got a quote for Hanwha 315. Is the warranty any better with the Panasonic panels? For Hanwha it is 12 years.
Could be one of the reason or couldn't source enough with the price drop since most of them were being exported. 4/19 was my first proposal with Delta Inverter + Panasonic then changed to SolarEdge + Panasonic along with the price drop.
9.24kW @ 330W * 28 Panels in Los Angeles. Panasonic manufacturer warranty is 20 years on the panel.Tesla is only covering 12 I think
Cool, great that you are getting the better panels with 20 years. I asked them about Panasonic and they said they were only doing Hanwha. They did not offer warranty extension either. They said I can call SolarEdge to order an extended warranty. That's the part I'm most worried about and would have liked to buy the extended warranty on purchase to get the 30 percent tax credit. Anyone know what the cost is to extend through SolarEdge? I'm afraid the inverter might survive to the 10/12 year warranty mark. They are bound to fail soon after that.
So was your pricing 27,258 (2.95/w)?
I guess I was lucky then @ 2.85W with Panasonic and SolarEdge, I still better check the equipment on the installation day. Not sure how recent this price sheet is and how much is a inverter anyway?
1 to 2k, plus installation. So not a trivial amount. They seem to be flaky too. I see many messages about the inverters failing anywhere from out of the box, within a few days, 3 years, 7 years, etc. Only pattern is basically they are bound to fail before the end-of-life of the panels.
