German solar panel maker REC Group has launched an extended warranty product for its PV modules, guaranteeing their performance and covering all faults and labour over a period of 25 years.
The ProTrust Warranty product was launched earlier this month by the Munich-based company, and will be offered in Australia through certified REC Solar Professional installers, only.
It extends the company’s standard warranty from 20-year for product and 25-year for performance, to 25 years for both.
This covers panel defects, including material flaws and assembly faults; performance – the maintenance of premium power output every year for 25 years; and labour – if a panel needs servicing, REC will cover the cost of repair or replacement of the panels or refund the defective panels for 25 years for installations up to 25kW and for 10 years for installations between 25-500kW.
The move is just the latest pitch by a leading solar company for customers to choose quality over low prices, as the cost of installing rooftop PV falls to new record lows in Australia, as reported here on Wednesday.
Customers are being urged to spend a little more at the outset for their rooftop solar panels and inverters, to install a quality product that will last longer and generate more power from the sun.
REC Groups offer also addresses concerns in the industry around retailer “phoenixing,” where companies set up to sell rooftop solar systems during boom-times, only to last one to two years, then vanish, leaving customers high and dry.
According to REC, it has the lowest claims rate in the industry, with fewer than 400 “returns” from more than 4 million panels manufactured each year.
“Our product, performance and labor guarantee builds on the impeccable quality of REC products to create a gold-standard warranty package for our customers,” said REC Group CEO Steve O’Neill in comments.
“REC’s commitment to innovation and producing the highest quality PV modules with near zero failure rates means that homeowners and businesses enjoy greater economic security and energy autonomy.
“We are dedicated to empowering as many people as possible with clean solar energy via our reliable premium products,” O’Neill said.
Last year REC Group was caught up in an ongoing international legal battle with Korean rival Hanwha QCells, which alleged that REC, along with BayWa r.e., Jinko Solar, Longi Solar and others, had infringed its patents.
REC issued a statement in Australia in April 2019 saying it was confident that it had not infringed Hanwha’s patent,and would “vigorously defend itself, its award-winning products, its distributors, customers and partners.”
Sophie is editor of One Step Off The Grid and deputy editor of its sister site, Renew Economy. Sophie has been writing about clean energy for more than a decade.
