Is there a way to find the Grade of my supplied Suniva 260w Panels

[jigs]

I have a friend who is signing up for a similar system as mine with the same installer and asked me if my Suniva 260w Mono Panels are A grade !! It seems the installer is not ready to put it in the contract for him that he will be using Suniva Grade A panels. I did not know about the Grades A B C, etc when I bought my system.

Q- Is there a way, I can tell from the Serial # of my panels or something which will tell me my the grade of cells used in my Panels. As i understand, A grade panels are made of only A grade cells.

As per my friend, even my system (3 mos old) is currently generating as advtz or more, if B or C grade panels were used, within 2-3 years, I will see very diminished output and/or failures.

Below is the panel make and model I have:
SUNIVA, OPT260-60-4-1B0, PV MODULES, 260W, MONO/BLACK/BLACK, H4, USA - 011-09220

My installer had accidentally shared with us their pricing/quote from their Distributor and it seems they paid $257.xx for each panel in June this year. So does the price tell you anything about the Grade of my installed panels. Online retail pricing for the same panels was around $315 in June. Currently it is around $300.

I have the Serial # of the panels, will that help.

Thanks

[silversaver]

Module Efficiency 16.02% Grade A

[peakbagger]

I am not aware of any legal definitions of panel grades that are enforced by any authority . I believe different firms and resellers use different definitions. Evergreen panels were rated on cosmetics rather than performance, the B panels typically had one or more non uniform cells that looked different than the others. The B panels could be just as high output, but when looked at up close they looked odd. Thus the manufacturer limited where they could be sold as not to give the panels a bad rep. As their finances got worse and they needed the cash, they seemed to be far less picky.

The major reseller in Florida, seems to use the following, A - first quality, B - functional but cosmetic issues, C - No guarantee may be defective or incomplete. Other manufacturers permanently mark C type panels and possible B panels so that someone doesn't try to swap them for A spec or swap C specs under warrantee. If the manufacturer is out of business, once the panels hit the surplus market I think all bets are off. In some cases I expect firms are buying scrap or unfinished panels and rebuilding them for resale under a private label. I am not pointing fingers, but the retailer in Florida on occasion has private label panels that they carry their guarantee. The panels may still be a good value to some folks if the work was done correctly.

There is also some confusion that a typical panel line will produce panels of various output ratings, the panels are tested after they are manufactured and ranked by output. Therefore a company may have one standard sized panel frame with 4 different model numbers depending on the output. On a 240 watt panel, it may have a 230, 220, and 210 twin. They all could be A spec. Ideally most folks want the highest output panels as they are somewhat more efficient and would take up a bit less room on the roof. If the roof size is limited that may be an issue but if there is plenty of room, most folks go for the lowest dollar per watt which will tend to be the lower wattage units. I am not aware if there has been long term testing to see if the highest efficiency panel in a model line degrades at the same rate as a lower wattage panel. It may be that after a few years they balance out or it could be that the higher efficiency stays high for the life of the panel.

[SolarShadow]

If these are to be grid tied and inspected then the installer must put in certified PVs or the install will be rejected by the inspector. Many of the B PVs do not have certification on them such as UL or ETL as examples.

[Mike90250]

OPT260-60-4-1B0

Look at other models from the same mfg. I suspect the B near the end of the
model # either stands for Bronze finish, Black finish, or B grade.

[Naptown]

Black frame

[SanDiego_installer]

At that price they are definitely A grade. Easy enough to call the manufacturer and provide the serial numbers. I'm more concerned about the cost per Watt of your system. Suniva is not considered a tier 1 panel manufacturer, and if your contractor paid $1/Watt wholesale, that is too much. And why would they carry four months of inventory? Contractors let our distributors warehouse the panels and deliver as needed.