Contractor Blog

Last week we tuned into a SunPower webinar, which promised a vague ‘big reveal’. We expected a new product or partnership, but what we got was a bombshell - Maxeon Solar Technologies (the company that makes SunPower panels) is extending its warranties to an epic 40 years for new installations.

Not only does this blow competitors’ 25 years warranties out of the water, it fundamentally changes the perception of solar power. We’ve long expected that panels will outlast their first 25 years, but for the first time a manufacturer is guaranteeing four decades of performance. You’re now buying 40 years’ worth of clean electricity upfront and that changes everything about your payback period and return on investment.

You’re buying products for life.

Not many PV panels have yet reached their end of life, but this is likely to accelerate in the 2030s as early systems (particularly those installed during the FiT boom) begin to reach old age.

Some panels, however, do get damaged, malfunction or are replaced for newer modules, becoming complex electronic waste.

What happens to the modules next is vital to ensuring solar remains one of the most sustainable forms of energy. The good news is that work is underway to tackle the complexities of solar panel recycling...

If you own a large generator, you may have received a letter recently about the Accelerated Loss of Mains Change Programme. This is related to an upcoming regulation change that may affect you and require you to make a change to your system.

One of the questions we hear often is ‘Do I need to clean my solar panels?’. The short answer - it depends. So when should you invest in solar panel cleaning?

If you are in charge of specify or installing on-roof solar panels, you should consider installing solar panel protection to stop birds from nesting under the panels. 

Nesting birds cause problems for solar panels and increase the need for general building maintenance. 

Luckily the industry has now developed well-proven solutions for solar panel protection: solar mesh and solar bird spikes.