Tweet
I am a professional solar installer and have been contracting PV installations for 4 years. 18 months ago I installed 30 Suniva modules on my own house and since then I have had approximately 10 module failures out of 30. The panels will behave normally until they warm up and then once the sun is full tilt, some of them go into 1/3 power. I have already replaced 5 of these, each time I replace a module it works properly for some time, but look at the screen shot from today.... anyone else having problems with Sunivas??
-
-
What did the company say when you contacted them ? Are you (still) a Suniva installer ? 10 failure, 5 changeouts. Same 5 locations ? -
Different locations. Suniva is bankrupt now and not answering the phone. I never used Suniva again except for that one job.
I'm curious if bad bypass diodes could cause this effect, or if this looks more like cells that were damaged due to mechanical stress. The shipping company broke the bottom two on the stack when they were delivered.Comment
-
I installed two Suniva arrays three years ago and have had failures on both. I used to offer the Suniva brand to customers who desired "made in USA" and it is a real shame that it turns out that the "made in USA" brand is actually the one that is crap. The first warranty claim on them we did last year was covered and they sent three replacement panels. The one we have currently submitted has had no response yet.
I understand that Suniva is still pushing the trade case to seek protection against foreign PV panels - which threatens to seriously raise PV prices. So it seems once again that a USA company that can't compete (because of an excessive regulatory environment and high cost structure) is resorting to trade protection to compensate for their substandard product.BSEE, R11, NABCEP, Chevy BoltEV, >3000kW installedComment
-
Followup on Suniva failures:
After giving up on getting any support from Suniva, we decided to have a go at resolving this problem ourselves. We removed two of the seven failing panels (total of 26 in the array) and brought them back to the shop. Because they were exhibiting a failure as a 1/3 or 2/3 or 3/3 loss of voltage, we dug out the RTV inside the j box and probed the tabbing connections and sure enough found bad solder there. Resoldered the tabbing connections, resealed the RTV and problem solved. The cells all look beautiful - no cracks or burns etc. We were able to fix the rest of the failed panels in situ as they were tilt racks on a flat roof. These are Suniva panels model: OPT265-60-4-1B0 installed in Feb of 2014.
I now notice in the fine print of the label that they are "assembled in China" with "cells fabricated in Georgia" so I guess the fault can be absolved from the USA workers, but Suniva can take their "Made in America" and their ITC trade case and shove it in my opinion.BSEE, R11, NABCEP, Chevy BoltEV, >3000kW installedComment
-
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR the repair info!! Can't wait to try this on my panels.Comment
-
For what its worth I installed my 7.6kw AC system back in April of 2013. I am using Suniva panels model # OPT260-60-4-1B0 and have the older Enphase M215 micro inverters Model # M215-60-2LL-S22/S23. I have never had any issue with the panels or micros. Every so often I drop the wifi link for the Enphase monitoring panel that I have in the garage. But I unplug and replug and it connects right back up. To date I have generated 59.9mw to offset my electrical bill. Sept of 16 was my break-even date for the total cost of my system. Im plain with house money now, and will ride this horse until she throws a shoe. Sorry for your problems with your panels, I got mine local here in San Diego. Good luck.Comment
-
Off topic, but FWIW, the annual output from your San Diego system of ~ 1,720 kWh/yr. per installed STC kW pretty much matches mine (1,750 kWh/yr. per installed STC kW).for close to the same time period. More anecdotal info that systems tend to produce about the same annual output regardless of the panel used. (yours being Suniva, mine being Sunpower). Not a plug for Suniva, just more observation that Sunpower stuff, while good, ain't worth the premium.Comment
-
I Installed Suniva OPT285-60-4-100 60 panel 17.1 kw system with 60 Enphase 280 micrinverters on 06/2016. Went with the American made in Georgia company with a 25 year warranty and great reviews. Had a panel fail ( lost 1/3 of its power output ) and was told you have no more warranty on your panels that are just over a year old, Suniva is in bankruptcy with no one honoring the warranty. Wholesale Solar wanted to sell me a replacement solarworld panel for Apx $500 including shipping ( their special cost price to help out ). I decided to pull the panel to see if I could do anything with it ( based on info I found here, which I just randomly came across). I found the panel bus bar system basically divides the system into 3rds and that one on the solder joints under the junction box on the back of the panel was bad, as described in previous post., so I also peeled away all the silicone, resoldered the connection and it is back to producing full power. I hope this is an isolated incident as I have 60 of these ( with apx 24 years of warranty, not, remaining ) and it was not easy to take it down and repair, thankfully it was on the end and at the top instead of in the middle of the array. I hope this is an isolated . Thanks for the insight on locating the problem.Comment
-
-
Fast forward a few years, after 6 years I have had at least 15 Suniva failures out of 35, who do I sue? I know Suniva went bankrupt but presumably there were some other companies that bought the debt / assets? TIAComment
-
My previous post from Nov of 2017 to now being Oct. of 2022 the entire system is still 100% functional.
All panels (34) 260w with the Enphase 215 micro's are still operating at full wattage output as when I installed them back in 2013.
123 MW generated to date.
I have been tracking my output on a monthly basis as well as annually.
Wattage output per yaer:
2013 8 1/2 mos 9.834mw
2014 13.268mw
2015 12.498mw
2016 12.895mw
2017 12.314mw
2018 12.697mw
2019 12.474mw
2020 12.352mw
2021 12.712mw
2022 10 mos 11.659mw
Looks like I was max generating more wattage back in 2014.
Looks like 2021 I was still able to produce more output than most previous years.
Looking at the Enphase website I can track my individual panel outputs and if some of them seem to be dropping I know it means I need to trim up some of the palms or birds that are casting some shade on those specific panels and then the production goes back up again.
Thought about adding more panels ( about 3kw ) to my current system but nixed that idea as my current NEM rate would need to change and not for the better.
But all told very satisfied with these panels.
Sorry for your troubles on your system.
Last edited by MGE; 11-03-2022, 04:59 PM.Comment
Comment