Solar Readiness for Strata - Section 8 - Warranties
There are a number of different warranties related to solar systems which seem to confuse everyone, including those who work in the industry.
The Clean Energy Council (CEC) has a list of accredited solar installers here. If you want to avail yourself of Small-scale Technology Certificate (STC) federal incentive (often referred to as a rebate) for a solar system, you will have to get the solar system installed by a CEC accredited solar installer. Also, any CEC accredited solar installer will have to give you at least a 5 year warranty on their labour related to the installation. There are over 6,500 solar installers in Australia operating at this point in time. However, a number of "fly by night" operators will regularly shut down their proprietary limited companies and then startup under a different name. This allows them to avoid servicing their labour warranties. These solar installers have been referred to as "phoenix" companies. Checking on the ASIC Connect or ABNlookup website how long the company has been operating can assist in identifying short term operators.
The CEC has a list of approved modules (panels) here and approved inverters here. However, the equipment on the CEC website is approved for installation but is a combination of tier 1, tier 2 and tier 3 products.
The Clean Energy Council (CEC) has a list of accredited solar installers here. If you want to avail yourself of Small-scale Technology Certificate (STC) federal incentive (often referred to as a rebate) for a solar system, you will have to get the solar system installed by a CEC accredited solar installer. Also, any CEC accredited solar installer will have to give you at least a 5 year warranty on their labour related to the installation. There are over 6,500 solar installers in Australia operating at this point in time. However, a number of "fly by night" operators will regularly shut down their proprietary limited companies and then startup under a different name. This allows them to avoid servicing their labour warranties. These solar installers have been referred to as "phoenix" companies. Checking on the ASIC Connect or ABNlookup website how long the company has been operating can assist in identifying short term operators.
The CEC has a list of approved modules (panels) here and approved inverters here. However, the equipment on the CEC website is approved for installation but is a combination of tier 1, tier 2 and tier 3 products.
The product warranty from the manufacturer of solar panels is usually 5-10 years. This applies to a fault on a particular panel and getting a replacement panel under warranty. However, note that if the product warranty is 10 years and the panel fails in year 7 and you only have a 5 year installer warranty from your installer, you may have to pay an installation fee on installing the replacement panel.
Inverters are the piece of equipment which is most likely to fail in a solar system. An inverter should be installed under shade (not in direct sunlight) to improve its longevity if it is installed outdoors. The product warranty on an inverter should be in the range of 5-12 years.
The most confusing warranty related to solar is that of the performance warranty of the solar panels. This warranty is that the amount of power output by a functioning solar panel will only degrade by 10-20% over time. The period most often quoted for this is 25 years. For example after 25 years, the panel originally installed will still be producing 90% of the same power as it produced on day one.
Inverters are the piece of equipment which is most likely to fail in a solar system. An inverter should be installed under shade (not in direct sunlight) to improve its longevity if it is installed outdoors. The product warranty on an inverter should be in the range of 5-12 years.
The most confusing warranty related to solar is that of the performance warranty of the solar panels. This warranty is that the amount of power output by a functioning solar panel will only degrade by 10-20% over time. The period most often quoted for this is 25 years. For example after 25 years, the panel originally installed will still be producing 90% of the same power as it produced on day one.
|
Solar for Strata Webinar
Join us walking through all the considerations strata schemes have to take on their solar journey. Watch on Youtube |