As competition increased in 2011, so did module product and performance warranties. Hanwha SolarOne has taken an early lead in stretching warranties further for 2012 having announced that from January 1, its materials and workmanship warranty has been extended to 12 years, up from 5 years previously offered. Hanwha SolarOne also said it had replaced its existing warranty for power generation capacity with an improved 25-year linear warranty.
“Hanwha SolarOne is pleased to offer warranties that reflect the exceptional quality and reliability of our PV modules,” commented Ki-Joon Hong, chief executive officer of Hanwha SolarOne. “We believe that the solar industry has a very bright future ahead of it and we are committed to being a trusted long-term partner of our customers — providing them with quality products and exceptional service every step of the way.”
Performance warranties on products sold since the beginning of the year carry a 97% nominal power generation capacity for its poly-based PV modules with an annual output degradation of no more than 0.7%.
In respect to mono-based PV modules, nominal power generation capacity is guaranteed at 96%, also offered with 0.7% annual output degradation.
According to the company, the 25 year performance warranty means that module output should not be less than 82% of the nominal power generation capacity.