REC Solar Panels...reviews please?

[shortyoh]

REC warranty

Watch out for their unique pro rated warranty.

I know this is late, but as I was shopping for a system myself, the installer recommended REC panels, so I was investigating them, and in doing so, found these concerns about their warranty.

It should be noted that as of January 1, 2014, all REC Peak Energy series panels (ie, the bulk of what is sold in the US) come with a warranty that gives REC the following options if a panel fails to meet its guaranteed performance level:

• Repair the Product; or
• Replace the Product with an equivalent product or to supply additional modules as necessary to achieve the warranted
percentage of specified power output; or
• Refund the current market price of an equivalent product at the time of the claim.

I can't speak for everyone else, but that's a perfectly acceptable warranty to me. They'll either fix it, replace it, or give you enough money to buy an equivalent product. Sure, that equivalent product could be a 20 year old panel to replace a 20 year old panel that failed, but if it produces an amount of energy equal to what had been promised, why worry?

[KRenn]

Watch out for their unique pro rated warranty.

[jcl2k6]

Poly or Mono - just look at the efficiency provided by the manufacturer - 16% is 16% regardless.

The temperature coefficient is given in the spec - how much capacity is lost per degree C ambient temperature increase.

Thin film - generally 2nd class and tend to be more problematic with less track record. The roofing style has yet to be anything other than sucker feed.

Many of the generalizations in the link are really meaningless.

thanks russ!

Here is the data sheet. can you tell me if it looks reasonable?

REC Peak energy BLK Series: 15.8% efficiency, 10 year product warranty, and 25 year linear power output warranty

Operational Temperature: -40 ... +80°C
Nominal Operating Cell Temperature (NOCT) 45.7°C (±2°C)
Temperature Coefficient of PMPP -0.40 %/°C
Temperature Coefficient of VOC -0.27 %/°C
Temperature Coefficient of ISC 0.024 %/°C

I've attached the PDF file for your reference. Thanks!

[russ]

I've worked with allot of different companies and used different panels - it depends on what panels your getting the mono poly. VoC if your using a single phase inverter or a 3 phase m12 enphase inverter. I could let you know but if you want to speak with me hit me up on priv so I don't forget about you thanks

I commented on another of your posts - too much blather and now you are looking for suckers - like Naptown says - next time you are gone.

[Naptown]

I've worked with allot of different companies and used different panels - it depends on what panels your getting the mono poly. VoC if your using a single phase inverter or a 3 phase m12 enphase inverter. I could let you know but if you want to speak with me hit me up on priv so I don't forget about you thanks

For someone who touts that they are a pro there are more things wrong in that post than I can count. Just about every thing said makes no sense or is just plain wrong.
But this makes sense from your yelp reviews and reviews on our sponsors site.
A bit less overt trolling and a lot more useful info would be appreciated.

[russ]

Poly or Mono - just look at the efficiency provided by the manufacturer - 16% is 16% regardless.

The temperature coefficient is given in the spec - how much capacity is lost per degree C ambient temperature increase.

Thin film - generally 2nd class and tend to be more problematic with less track record. The roofing style has yet to be anything other than sucker feed.

Many of the generalizations in the link are really meaningless.

[jcl2k6]

Hi there,

One of the installers is quoting REC panels....but i am not able to find much infor or reviews on these.

Has anyone here used these, or is familiar with their quality, warranty/support, etc?

Pls advice

Thanks

Hi Itsme, I got your PM about your installer. Thank you very much for willing to share your experience! I'm trying to reach 10 posts so I can reply to your PM.

As of now, I'm researching the REC panels as well since that is what the installer uses, but really haven't found too much info. It's a polycrystalline panel, which seems to be a little less efficient in both energy and space but is cheaper from the link i found below.

What's your experience so far with the panels if you ended up going with them? Thanks!

Excerpt from (http://energyinformative.org/best-so...ine-thin-film/)

Advantages

The process used to make polycrystalline silicon is simpler and cost less. The amount of waste silicon is less compared to monocrystalline.
Polycrystalline solar panels tend to have slightly lower heat tolerance than monocrystalline solar panels. This technically means that they perform slightly worse than monocrystalline solar panels in high temperatures. Heat can affect the performance of solar panels and shorten their lifespans. However, this effect is minor, and most homeowners do not need to take it into account.


Disadvantages

The efficiency of polycrystalline-based solar panels is typically 13-16%. Because of lower silicon purity, polycrystalline solar panels are not quite as efficient as monocrystalline solar panels.
Lower space-efficiency. You generally need to cover a larger surface to output the same electrical power as you would with a solar panel made of monocrystalline silicon. However, this does not mean every monocrystalline solar panel perform better than those based on polycrystalline silicon.
Monocrystalline and thin-film solar panels tend to be more aesthetically pleasing since they have a more uniform look compared to the speckled blue color of polycrystalline silicon.

[russ]

that is awesome to get the 2% cash back rebate through costco! and to be able to get the amex points!

All of which you do pay for.

[bando]

Costco actually has nothing to do with the quote, products or install. They refer customers to REC Solar, and customers who purchase get some "perks" through Coscto - they ring up the purchase of equipment (panels/inverter) through the Costco registers so that amount qualifies for your annual 2% rebate through Costco and/or Amex card. They also give you a free year of membership.

Other than that, Costco doesn't get involved. REC Solar was the contractor/installer, and we had a very good experience with them.

that is awesome to get the 2% cash back rebate through costco! and to be able to get the amex points!

[jennifermehl]

Costco actually has nothing to do with the quote, products or install. They refer customers to REC Solar, and customers who purchase get some "perks" through Coscto - they ring up the purchase of equipment (panels/inverter) through the Costco registers so that amount qualifies for your annual 2% rebate through Costco and/or Amex card. They also give you a free year of membership.

Other than that, Costco doesn't get involved. REC Solar was the contractor/installer, and we had a very good experience with them.

[russ]

You are counting on some office weinie that knows zip about solar - a real installer would be preferable to me.

[inetdog]

I was not aware that Costco does Solar....wow...

They do in the same way that HD does solar, they contract it out locally, so unless you are willing to count on Costco to stand behind their contractor (and I would rate that more likely than for HD to do the same thing), you need to research the actual contractor.
That has little to do with the choice of panels, except in terms of what kind of warranty support you will get.

[Itsme]

We have the 24 or the REC 255W panels (REC255PE BLK) along with a Fronius IG Plus 6.0 inverter on a 6.12 kW DC system. Our install was finished last month and we've been happy with the performance so far, particularly considering it is the "worst" time of the year for solar.

We can't really see many of our panels, but they were nice looking on the truck.

Our installer was xxxx out of San Luis Obispo, CA through Costco.

Thanks. Glad to know that REC is OK.

I was not aware that Costco does Solar....wow...

[posey_mvp]

We have the 24 or the REC 255W panels (REC255PE BLK) along with a Fronius IG Plus 6.0 inverter on a 6.12 kW DC system. Our install was finished last month and we've been happy with the performance so far, particularly considering it is the "worst" time of the year for solar.

We can't really see many of our panels, but they were nice looking on the truck.

Our installer was xxxx out of San Luis Obispo, CA through Costco.

hi Jennifer,

just curious, how much did you pay for your system?

thanks.

[jennifermehl]

Oh, also, some warranty info here: