Are Solar Panels Reliable?

We often get asked if solar panels are reliable.

Simple answer: Of Course they are reliable or we wouldn’t believe in them so much!  They are so reliable many of the components are under warranty for 20-25 years.  The panels themselves have a 25 year production warranty!  Not many other products come with such a long warranty.

In fact most of the items in your house that use the power solar generates have much smaller expected lifespans than solar panels:

Typical water heater warranties are 6-12 years

Appliances usually only come with a 1 year warranty

Hot tubs usually have a 5 year warranty

Most new furnaces and heat pumps come with a 10 year limited parts warranty

Thinking of adding an electric car?

Chevy bolt electric car - 8 years!

You will be replacing most of the appliances in your house 2 times over before you ever need to replace your solar panels.

What if my panels stop working?

You do not have to worry about your house losing power!

Not only does the industry stand behind their product but the way the product works can give you peace of mind throughout the day and night.  Our current systems operate on a net metering model.  Being ‘Grid tied’ means that when the system is producing insufficient or no power then your home will draw power from your local electric provider.

The electricity flows through a bi-directional meter or two meters located on the side of your house.  When the sun is shining strong, the power is going into your house and no energy is taken from the grid.  When the sun is less than adequate (maybe a little more clouds or snow) then your house will draw from the production of the solar panels AND draw the remaining energy it needs from the grid.  At night or if the panels have stopped working, the grid supplies your house with all the electricity you will need.

So no matter what time of day, as long as the grid itself isn’t down then your house will be supplied with power.

The details on the warranties

Solar panels - Sunly uses Canadian Solar. It is the 5th largest solar panel manufacturer in the world and they even manufacture some of the solar panels in Ontario.  Founded in 2001 the company has been around for almost 20 years.  Canadian Solar panels come with a manufacturers 25 year linear power warranty (-0.55% annually) and are designed to handle heavy snow loads of up to 5400 Pa.

 APsystems micro-inverters - these convert the DC power from the panels into usable AC power for your home -  come with a 20 year warranty directly from APsystems.

Pion Power racking system - what holds the panels on the roof - is made from aircraft grade aluminium and stainless steel and comes with a 20 year manufacturers product warranty.

 How do we make them even more reliable?

 We make sure your system is even more reliable by taking steps during installation to protect your investment and reduce risks from issues that we have encountered in our years of experience.  

Structural Engineering - We make sure that every installation we do has an engineer sign off on the design so they have considered the extra load put on your structure by the solar panels.  We do not want to be damaging your roof.

Flashing - We install thin pieces of impervious metal to stop from water getting into your house

Critter guard - We install a meshing around the entire solar installation to make sure different animals like birds, racoons and squirrels don’t chew wires or create nests causing system disruptions.  

So are solar panels reliable?

From the long warranties, net metering system set up and fine details we include in the installation your solar panels would be one of the most reliable things in your home!

Click here to learn more about how solar panels would be right for you with a free custom solar assessment.