MANUFACTURER I GUARANTEES
in the first year, and any subsequent year, where these exceed a certain percentage. The advantage of the linear guarantee is that the customer does not run the risk of falling into a so-called “performance hole” immediately after installation. With the staged model, the performance guarantee will only be triggered in the first year if the module performance drops below 90% of the nominal or minimum performance level.
Despite the unusually long product and performance guarantees that the industry offers, consumer protection groups are increasingly critical of solar module warranties. In many cases, the terms and conditions are close to incomprehensible to customers, to the extent where that they may have been written to be deliberately confusing. The substantive risk is that costly confusion over claims will put people off investing in solar, and the weaknesses in provisions offered by one supplier, will damage the reputation of the wider industry – a serious issue in these challenging times.
Many manufacturer warranties currently require the end- customer to take on all of the ancillary costs, starting with proving to the manufacturer that there is a problem in the first place. First customers must pay for the right tests to be carried out on the faulty panel, either by using an engineer on site or an institute that runs standard tests. In the latter case, the module has to be removed from the roof and transported to the institute, without any certainty that the damage or defect will be authenticated. The manufacturer determines without any independent oversight whether there is in fact a fault. In practice, results from testing institutes are rarely recognised by the manufacturers, and in some cases even ignored.
Repair or Replace
If the manufacturer accepts there is indeed a problem, the module then has to be sent to the manufacturer, again at the customer’s expense. In our globalised world, this can often be in another country – most often, China or Germany for European customers. Even if the customer is happy to pay for the modules to be transported to China, claims there rarely result in compensation. It is not surprising then that many customers give up at this point.
If they decide to proceed, they will find further challenges ahead. Most warranties require the manufacturer to either repair or replace the module, or to refund the customer – but they get to decide which.
If the manufacturer decides to refund the customer – often for no more than the residual value of the faulty panel – then the
installation will still not produce the amount of power it was designed to produce, and the amount recovered may not cover a separate replacement.
If the module is repaired, then the customer should be happy to have the installation running at the output levels they originally paid for. But if the manufacturer decides to replace the module, what they offer may not be an exact match for the faulty one – in terms of colour or size. In a worst case scenario, there have been cases where it was impossible to fit the replacement to the installation, and one in which two 185 watt modules were used
If the manufacturer accepts there is indeed a problem, the module then has to be sent to the manufacturer,again at the customer’s expense. In our globalised world, this can often be in another country – most often, China or Germany for European customers
Issue IV 2012 I
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