SunPower Announces Industry's First 25-Year Combined Power and Product Warranty

This month, SunPower announced the launch of the industry's first combined warranty that covers both power and product for 25 years. The company is also shifting to a linear power warranty that offers the lowest power degradation over the life of the system.

SunPower is the only solar company to offer a straightforward 25-year global product warranty, which is 15 to 20 years longer than conventional solar warranties. Integrated into SunPower high-efficiency solar panels are the company's patented Maxeon® all-back contact solar cells which are built on a solid copper foundation, making them extremely resistant to cracking, corrosion and stresses from temperature variation. In the unlikely event a solar panel needs to be repaired or replaced, an identical or functionally equivalent panel will be provided or the cost of the panel will be fully refunded. The associated labor and transportation costs for customers whose solar panels were installed by SunPower or SunPower dealer/partners are covered. The new warranty is also written in plain, simple terms that detail the coverage.

"SunPower's 25-year combined power and product warranty is possible due to our proven, differentiated Maxeon solar cell technology," said Tom Werner, SunPower president and CEO. "These cells make our high-efficiency panels incredibly durable, allowing SunPower to offer our customers this first-of-its-kind warranty increasing performance with more energy delivery. SunPower is standing behind its products with this new easy-to-understand warranty, which serves our customers well for any issues that may arise."

SunPower's new warranty now offers the industry's lowest power degradation with more warranted energy. The company guarantees at least 95 percent power for the first five years, followed by a maximum degradation rate of 0.4 percent each year thereafter. This results in an unprecedented 87 percent power level at the end of 25 years, warranting a total of 9.1 percent more energy than the industry standard over the first 25 years of the solar panel life.

The new warranty went into effect on July 1, 2012 and is available to all residential, commercial and utility-scale power plant customers installing SunPower solar panels.

Learn how you can reduce or eliminate your monthly energy bill, and have the security of the best-backed product in the solar industry. Sign up for a free in-home evaluation today. 

Call Solar Forward, an Elite SunPower Dealer, at 310.433.3770.

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Solar By and For Treehuggers

At its core, Solar Forward is driven by environmentalist principles.  Yes, we love to save our clients money and keep ourselves afloat, but the company was founded out of a desire to preserve and better the world around us.

Before establishing Solar Forward in 2005, Mark Smith was educated by one of the first environmentalists to warn of global warming, Barry Commoner.  Commoner was essential to the environmentalist vanguard of the 1950’s and beyond, advocating for now common ideas like recycling, bans on nuclear atmospheric testing, organic farming, and renewable energy.

Today, American electricity consumption has climbed steadily since the 1960’s.  Since the majority of this energy comes from greenhouse gas emitting fuels like coal and natural gas, this upward trajectory is undeniably dangerous.

With iPhone 5 sales surpassing 5 million in 3 days, curtailing energy consumption seems like a losing proposition.  While energy conserving efforts are important, they alone won’t keep our planet from melting.  What we must shift are the sources that keep us powered.

Each solar system we install moves us one step further away from damaging fossil fuels, which is why we like to say we're, "Saving the planet, one solar system at a time!”

Many of our clients are also environmentalists.  Others are not.  Either way, we are grateful to you all for making the decision to power with the sun.  Forward!

LA City Council Set to Approve DWP Rate Hike

They’re at it again.  LADWP is raising electricity rates 11.1% over the next two years, unless the LA City Council votes against the hikes, which they won’t.

After internal LADWP approval, endorsement from the LADWP Rate Payer Advocacy Group, and now tentative backing from the LA City Council before a second vote next week, the increase appears destined to hit our pocketbooks. 

What might be the reason behind the rise? To bloat the salaries of utility employees?  No.  Well, at least not directly.  More on that later… 

A LADWP issued press release from September 12, 2012 states:

“The Los Angeles Board of Water and Power Commissioners moved forward today with a proposed 2-year electric rate change to pay to pay for investments needed to comply with legal mandates that are driving a complete transformation of LADWP’s power supply, to invest in replacing rapidly aging infrastructure to maintain reliability and expand customer opportunities through additional investment in money-saving energy efficiency programs which also comply with state requirements.”

Solar Forward crew installs SunPower Panels on a tile roof

Whether we continue charging our lives off finite fossil fuels, or invest in pricier renewable energy (which thankfully we are shifting towards), the fact is our energy expenses will and must rise.  Here in California, electricity rates are rising at an average of 6% each year.

And there's more.  According to a LA Times article, “Independent ratepayer advocate Fred Pickel told the council that the DWP's financial plan called for possible increases of 7.8% in 2014, 7.6% in 2015 and 6% in 2016.”

Yes, it’s a drag.  No, we can’t change it.*

Still, LADWP’s publicity battle would have been easier had it not just been revealed that their staff are paid approximately 26% - 46% more than workers at other utilities.  While levelheaded Angelinos may accept higher energy costs during an economic downturn, it’s a bit hard to swallow in light of these generous salaries.

*Here’s the secret: you can avoid utility inflation.  Go solar.  Produce your own energy by purchasing a solar system, with an average ROI of 7-9 years.  After that, your electricity is free.  Or, lease a solar system for no money upfront, paying only a low monthly payment for the next 20 years.  Zero-percent interest.  No catch.  Contact Solar Forward for a free estimate, www.solarforward.com.    

SCE Power Outage Alert: 755 Homes Affected in Santa Monica

Word on the street is the power is out, but here at the Solar Forward office, we had no clue.

At approximately 11:17am this morning, Santa Monica residents in the Sunset Park neighborhood lost power.  At the same moment, Solar Forward’s Outback Power battery back-up system kicked into gear.  The result: seamless transition to back-up power. 

No crashed computers.  No waiting around.  No delays to business.

Southern California Edison has yet to determine the cause of the outage.  The number of affected homes is growing, and ETA to restore power is unknown.

How can you make your home immune to the ins and outs of the grid?

Solar Forward's Outback Power battery back-up system

Go solar with battery back-up.

While solar without a back-up system is a great way to save money on your Edison electric bill, and reduce the amount of carbon being spewed into the atmosphere, it won’t keep you running during routine outages or emergencies. 

Safety precautions require that when the grid goes down, your solar goes down.  That is – unless have a battery back-up system. 

Solar Forward has installed a number of these systems in Santa Monica, leaving signs of activity and light, while the rest of the city sits stalled.

To inquire about solar and/or battery back-up systems, give Solar Forward a call at 310.433.3770. 

Watch our battery back-up video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAcbTzQDJLg.

Back to the Future: DWP Shuts Down Solar Again

The LADWP solar program has deteriorated into chaos. 

New applications into LADWP for solar are experiencing over two month delays!  Solar contractors and homeowners are being held captive by the utility.  Until given the go ahead by LADWP, we are unable to move forward on pending projects.

In the peak summer months, LADWP has effectively shut down the solar industry by dismissing their entire solar inspector staff.  And this isn’t the first time.

All trained and experienced solar inspectors have been replaced by a new group of  “union” employees with no background in solar energy. 

The delays are mounting.  During the sunniest months of the year, when demand for electricity is greatest and we’re asked to flex our power, we have solar systems switched off!  

Calls, emails, more calls.  It is nearly impossible to reach anyone at LADWP to air grievances and find solutions. 

What can be done by the City Council and the Mayor’s office to create oversight for LADWP?

The people of Los Angeles want renewable energy.  Sadly, LADWP has repeatedly made it impossible, and is still wasting taxpayer money at every turn.

LADWP Slows Solar in Hottest Summer on Record

The act that granted the right to interconnect solar systems with the power grid is called PURPA.  It was passed by Congress in 1978.

Solar Forward installed its first grid-tied solar system in Los Angeles in 2005.

Solar is not new.  So why now, in 2012, do utility companies still struggle with its implementation?

The issue is not demand.  Californians thirst for more solar.  In July alone, over 600 solar rebate applications were submitted to LADWP.

During a summer which may be the hottest ever on record, installation of solar panels must be a priority.  President Obama gets it.

At Solar Forward, much of our summer has been spent speaking with new clients who are exasperated that their homes are still powered by coal.  "We're really sorry, LADWP has not processed your rebate application."  "We're really sorry, we don't know when LADWP will be out to inspect your system."

It seems no amount of anger or frustration penetrates the antiquated walls of LADWP.

Out in Northridge where the daily temperature this month will average around 97 degrees, one of our clients has been waiting for a LADWP inspection for 6 weeks.  And counting.

In Tarzana, another client has waited months to install his 18 kW solar system.  He rightly wonders why systems like his, which would take a much needed burden off the grid, are not rushed through LADWP's solar program.

In a world where most people who fail at their jobs are fired, LADWP gets a pass.  Los Angeles homeowners are left with high electricity bills, and polluted skies.

Plug-in Hybrids: An Electric Step in the Right Direction

If you’re anything like us, you may also feel the end of the world is just around one very hot corner.  Seeing America’s infrastructure snap under rising temperatures is terrifying.  

Tailpipe emissions account for one-fifth of worldwide carbon emissions.    Ideally, we would combat this by pouring funding into public transit, and single passenger car trips would become a rarity. 

Instead, we’re clinging to life as usual.  How do we have our automobile cake, and eat it too? 

Plug-in hybrids. 

Consumer habits have shown that most Americans fear the fully electric vehicle.  Unfortunately, the climate can’t wait for us to adjust to the idea of going to a charging station rather than a gas station. 

Luckily for future generations, drivers are willing to compromise.  Sales of plug-in hybrid vehicles are up 381% in just the first half of this year.  We won’t completely give up petroleum, but we are dieting. 

This new breed of hybrid can travel 20 miles before switching to gasoline.  And, the cost to charge at night is equal to a mere 75 cents per gallon of gasoline.

Plug-in hybrids are a great alternative to traditional EVs.  They ease consumers into the ways of electric vehicles, while allowing drivers their gas tank security blanket.

Call Solar Forward to learn about powering your plug-in hybrid or electric vehicle with the sun.