SunPower’s Unique 30 & 40 Year Solar Panel Warranties
SunPower’s comprehensive warranties of 30 years for their Performance panels and 40 years for their Maxeon panels are unrivalled in the market.
Not all solar panels are made equal. Panel characteristics vary from manufacturer to manufacturer in terms of efficiency, performance, degradation, size, warranties, design, etc.
Find out below why SunPower solar panels give you complete peace of mind for your energy project.
by David Lewis, Chief Strategy Officer | published 7 February 2025
Are Solar Panels like Sugar?
Generic vs Advanced Panels
Imagine for a moment you’re at the supermarket and need to get some sugar. You’re staring at the sugar shelf and wondering which brand to buy. The quality of the sugar is probably pretty much identical across the brands. It makes sense therefore to buy the cheapest brand.
Are solar panels like sugar? It depends…
It’s true that solar panels are now a mature product. The modern solar panel was invented in 1954 and global mass production really took off in the last two decades. There now tend to be two types of solar panel manufacturer:
- The majority of manufacturers that produce generic panels that don’t differ much from brand to brand (like sugar); and
- A select few manufacturers that constantly innovate to produce better, differentiated panels (unlike sugar).
SunPower Solar Panels
SunPower is very much in the latter camp.
Founded in 1985 by Dr Richard Swanson, a professor at Stanford University, SunPower has always invested heavily in R&D.
The result? Their panels contain unique technologies making them more efficient, more resilient and better value. Their exceptional performance and reliability in demanding environments is why Nasa uses SunPower cells for many of their space-related projects.
Warranties
The Importance of Warranties
And the value proposition for SunPower panels doesn’t stop with the advanced technology. What makes their panels even more attractive are their marketing-leading warranties.
Warranties are crucial when it comes to electronic devices. If your mobile phone stops working, you will immediately ask yourself: “Gosh, I hope I’m still within the warranty period!” If you are within warranty, your phone will be fixed for free. If you’re not, you’ll have to pay for the repair or replacement.
SunPower panels have three warranties, as follows:
WARRANTY | DESCRIPTION |
Product Warranty | If a panel fails within the warranty period, you are given a replacement panel. |
Performance Warranty | If a panel degrades faster than it should over time, you are given a replacement panel. |
Service Warranty | This aspect of the warranty is what sets SunPower apart. Not only are you entitled to a replacement panel if one fails or degrades too quickly (product and performance warranties), SunPower will also pay to have the panel installed, covering all labour and access costs such as scaffolding. |
The SunPower Service Warranty
Residential, Commercial & Public Sector Customers
Having the Service Warranty on SunPower panels, can save you a lot of money.
If you are a residential customer and have generic (non-SunPower) panels, in the event of a panel failure within warranty, you will get a replacement panel. However, the manufacturer won’t reimburse you for any labour or scaffolding costs to get the new panel installed. The total cost could easily run into the high hundreds of Pounds, as both scaffolding and electrical labour are expensive.
The same applies for commercial and public sector customers. If the panel or panels needed to be replaced are high up on one of your roofs, scaffolding and access costs can be really significant.
With SunPower panels, these worries go away. SunPower pays for both the panel and any scaffolding/labour required to get the panels reinstated. A Product / Performance/ Service warranty also applies to SunPower Reserve battery storage.
This table shows the length of the warranties for SunPower’s Performance and Maxeon ranges:
DETAILS | PERFORMANCE RANGE | MAXEON RANGE |
Product Warranty | 30 Years | 40 Years |
Performance Warranty | 30 Years | 40 Years |
Service Warranty | 30 Years | 40 Years |
Conclusion
The SunPower Performance 30-year warranties are better than any other non-SunPower panel on the market.
The Maxeon 40-year warranties are far and away the most comprehensive and durable solar panel warranties you can get.
For the difference between Performance and Maxeon panels, see our main SunPower page.
If you would like more details about SunPower products, please call us on 0800 909 8882.
