SunPower Defective Solar Panels 4.75M Class Action Settlement
Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.
This settlement is closed!
Please see what other class action settlements you might qualify to claim cash from in our Open Settlements directory!
SunPower agreed to pay 4.75 million under a class action lawsuit settlement to resolve claims that it sold solar panels with defective microinverters.
The settlement benefits Class Members who purchased one or more SunPower solar modules (also called solar panels) equipped with defective microinverters and/or own a house where these modules are installed.
The allegedly defective microinverters were installed in SunPower solar panels between July 2015 and December 2016 and carry serial numbers beginning with 4140515xxxx and 4140516xxxx. These were equipped in solar modules included in SunPower’s Equinox systems with the following model numbers:
- SPR-E20-327-C-AC
- SPR-E19-320-C-AC
- SPR-E18-305-C-AC
- SPR-X22-360-C-AC
- SPR-X21-350-BLK-C-AC
- SPR-X21-345-C-AC
- SPR-X21-335-C-AC
- SPR-X21-335-BLK-C-AC
- SPR-X20-327-BLK-C-AC
SunPower is a solar power company based in Silicon Valley. The company reportedly holds over 1,000 patents for solar innovation and, according to the company’s website, has been the No. 1 ranked commercial solar company since 2017.
However, consumers who purchased solar panels from the company may have unknowingly paid for defective products.
Plaintiffs in the SunPower class action lawsuit claim the company sold solar panels with defective microinverters. The microinverters were allegedly manufactured with a defective component from a third party; that component causes the parts to degrade prematurely, generate less power, and even stop working.
As a result of this defect, the plaintiffs contend consumers who purchased SunPower solar panels faced financial damages due to premature product failure and increased electric utility bills. According to the SunPower class action lawsuit, the solar power company is liable for these damages.
SunPower hasn’t admitted any wrongdoing but agreed to resolve these claims with a 4.75 million settlement.
The settlement promises cash payments to consumers who experienced any of the following: lost or reduced power production, property damage due to microinverter repair or replacement, and/or loss of solar renewable energy credits or other incentives. According to the settlement website, payments are expected to be 173.52 per Class Member.
The SunPower class action settlement also provides non-monetary benefits to Class Members.
The company agreed to maintain and establish an Enhanced Customer Care Program through Dec. 31, 2021, in order to help Class Members with any questions surrounding the settlement.
Under the terms of the settlement, SunPower also agreed to retrofit all defective microinverters. SunPower reportedly started to replace defective components in 2017. The company agreed to repair all remaining microinverters by June 30, 2021.
The deadline for exclusion and objection was Jan. 10, 2022.
The final approval hearing in the SunPower solar panels lawsuit settlement is scheduled for March 24, 2022.
Class Members must submit a valid claim form by March 10, 2022, in order to receive payments from the settlement.
Who’s Eligible
The settlement benefits Class Members who purchased one or more SunPower solar modules (also called solar panels) equipped with defective microinverters and/or own a house where these modules are installed.
Potential Award
Proof of Purchase
No proof of purchase applicable
Claim Form
NOTE: If you do not qualify for this settlement do NOT file a claim.
Remember: you are submitting your claim under penalty of perjury. You are also harming other eligible Class Members by submitting a fraudulent claim. If you’re unsure if you qualify, please read the FAQ section of the Settlement Administrator’s website to ensure you meet all standards (Top Class Actions is not a Settlement Administrator). If you don’t qualify for this settlement, check out our database of other open class action settlements you may be eligible for.
Claim Form Deadline
Case Name
Weiss, et al. v. SunPower Corporation, Case No. 21CV384151, in the Superior Court of the State of California in and for the County of Santa Clara
Final Hearing
Settlement Website
Claims Administrator
Microinverter Settlementc/o A.B. Data, Ltd.P.O. Box 173052Milwaukee, WI 53217877-888-4642info@MicroinverterSettlement.com
Class Counsel
Shanon J. Carson EsqGlen Abramson EsqJeff Osterwise EsqAmey Park EsqBerger Montague PC
Sophia Rios Esq Berger Montague PC
Defense Counsel
Darren CottrielSharyl ReismanJONES DAY
Read About Class Action Lawsuits Class Action Settlements:
- Alabama and Texas NIBCO Defective Products 7.65M Class Action Settlement
- Uponor Brass Pipe Fitting Class Action SettlementAllura Fiber Cement Siding 12.5M Class Action Settlement
- DuraPro Toilet Connector Class Action Settlement
- Allura Fiber Cement Siding 12.5M Class Action Settlement
We tell you about cash you can claim EVERY WEEK! Sign up for our free newsletter.
Top Class Actions is a Proud Member of the American Bar Association
LEGAL INFORMATION IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE
©2008 – 2023 Top Class Actions® LLC
Various Trademarks held by their respective owners
This website is not intended for viewing or usage by European Union citizens.
thoughts on SunPower Defective Solar Panels 4.75M Class Action Settlement
ALl Legal Counsel Members Representing S.T of CA. Be aware what I believe is The Respective Electric Company’s some of them are in of The Taking actual Large Portions of Residential Generated kWh units that is of a direct Breech into that Contract between A Home Owner who Rents the Solar equipment installed that states shall be credit for every unit of kwh Generated in billing cycle. The Fact I truly believe is happening more than you may think it’s not is worth the investigating I know I have had direct conversations with my utility company I will not mention there Name here.Based on there Response of my direct conversation told me they thought I would not be quick enough to there Con that’s Tricky the first time.I later after waited some short time frame gave myself that same chance to there same response and my direct reply to answer back was with silence. Then they changed the format of there No Billing Statement. I am a Know body to them of Now Threat. Electric Company has a Mandate to store kWh on Grid they built that’s off line to be ready to meet a deadline with CA for back up Grid or a All Green Grid not sure however the pressure can at times cause something Like scoop the table credit chips from a place on that table that is not there’s for the taking. Just maybe if this true of the fact. This Not just effected us. It’s going to be huge populated residential community No brainier Class Action. Catch it before they use the grid Now is the time Numerate the Gride to find kwh MIA. Not Credited to Home Owners who Rent the Solar and or Own Solar.Note we have No Batt. Storage capability what we Generate days each day at Night all goes to the utility Co.
Sunpower solar panels reviews
The views expressed by reviewers are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect those of Peacock Media Group, which makes no representations as to the accuracy of the reviews. For our full disclaimer and further information, see our Terms of Use and our Review Guidelines.
About Sunpower, Solar Panels
SunPower is an American firm that lends its name to high quality solar panels; with most models now being produced through its spinoff Maxeon Solar Technologies. The company’s products are widely considered among the best available.
Sunpower Maxeon solar panels have the highest efficiency currently on the market, are likely to be the best at tolerating partial shade. and they have a 40 year product warranty in Australia (see further notes on warranty below). In addition, SunPower panels are corrosion resistant, which makes them suitable for installation anywhere in Australia.
Maxeon have an Australian office in Melbourne.
Production Capacity And Output
At the start of 2018 SunPower had 1.2 gigawatts of solar cell manufacturing capacity and 1.9 gigawatts of solar panel manufacturing capacity. In 2019, the company shipped 2.5 GW of modules, representing 80% growth over 2018.
Current production capacity isn’t clear, but was expected to be boosted significantly under Maxeon. In April 2021, Maxeon Solar Technologies said it planned to use existing facilities to quickly ramp 1.8 GW of new capacity, followed by another 1.8GW at a new facility. Whether that materialised isn’t clear.
Manufacturing Locations
SunPower is as American as Apple pie and so is majority owned by a French oil company. This makes sense because the French were eating Apple pies long before Americans ever did.
SunPower’s headquarters are in San Jose in California. They abandoned manufacturing in the United States for a long time but then resumed at a plant they bought from SolarWorld Americas in order to avoid Trump’s solar panel tariffs. But in January 2021, SunPower announced it was closing its Hillsboro plant. This means Maxeon is now manufacturing all SunPower panels models aside from the Performance (P) Series.
Maxeon has manufacturing capacity in Malaysia, the Philippines and Mexico. SunPower entered into a joint venture to produce their P series panels in China.
Company History
SunPower was founded in 1985 by Richard Swanson, who was responsible for Swanson’s Law. It states that for every doubling of production capability, the cost of solar panels falls by 20%. Despite ups and downs in prices, it has proven to be roughly accurate and I hope the effect will continue into the future.
As it has managed to stick around for 37 years so far, SunPower is one of the oldest solar panel brands in existence.
However, in November 2019, SunPower announced it would spin off much of its solar panel manufacturing into a new company – Maxeon Solar Technologies. That process was completed in August 2020 and now the company’s panels aside from the P Series are marketed under the name SunPower Maxeon.
SunPower Maxeon’s 40 Year Replacement Product Warranty
In February 2022, Maxeon Solar Technologies announced the product and performance warranty on panels sold under SunPower Maxeon brand in Australia had been extended from 25 years to 40 years. In terms of the Sunpower Maxeon 5 and 6 AC, the 40 years only covers the panel, while the integrated microinverter is covered under Enphase’s 25 year warranty.
It should be noted the product warranty for SunPower P series panels (i.e. non-Maxeon branded) is still 25 years.
Maxeon’s product warranty (and that of the SunPower P Series) undertakes to either repair, replace, or refund the purchase price of the defective PV modules. It used to be that all SunPower panels were covered by a full replacement warranty, rather than the company also having repair/refund options.
Panel Reliability
While this figure is now out of date, SunPower has previously said their panel failure rate is only 1 in 37,000. Hopefully it’s even better now, although I know some panels have been replaced under warranty. Because the large majority of their panels were well under 25 years old at the time, this doesn’t mean there is only a 1 in 37,000 chance of a panel failing during its 25 year warranty period, but it still suggests they are very reliable.
SunPower Maxeon Solar Panels Resist The Effects Of Heat
SunPower panels suffer considerably less decrease in efficiency due to the effects of heat than the average panels. Their coefficiency of Pmax ranges is as little as.0.29% depending on the model, while the average is around.0.35%. This is how much their output is decreased by for each degree celcisus the panel temperature is above 25 degrees. Note that the temperature of panels in the sun can be much higher than the air temperature and can reach 65 degrees on hot days.
SunPower Panels Tolerate Partial Shade Well
Partial shade can cause a major reduction in the performance of solar cells as one badly performing solar cell can drag down the performance of others, so just one bird poop can have a major effect. But SunPower used various technologies to minimise its impact, and that has continued under Maxeon manufacturing.
SunPower Had Financial Difficulties
SunPower had been experiencing financial difficulties, posting significant losses in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
For the fiscal year 2019, SunPower’s assets and liabilities were almost equal, which is not a good situation to be in. Their financial position was hurt by falling solar panel and also President Trump’s US solar tariffs.- despite SunPower winning an exemption.
There was speculation that SunPower would go bankrupt, but the recent move to shift all solar panel manufacturing to Maxeon may play out well.
But even if I was certain SunPower wouldn’t be around in the future to honour their warranties, I would still be fine with installing them on my roof because their high reliability means the chance of me needing their warranty should be extremely small.
Warranty claim procedure for orphaned SunPower customers
If you have purchased Sunpower panels from a solar installer that has gone out of business, the responsibility for warranty claims falls to Sunpower or Maxeon, depending on the type of solar panel installed. They can be contacted on 1800 786 769, and will arrange for an installer in their network to diagnose and rectify any problems with the panels. with labor costs involved covered by the warranty.
My Recommendation
I would have no problem installing SunPower Maxeon panels on my roof, and this would be the case even if I expected SunPower or Maxeon to go bust and not be around to honour their warranties.
But while SunPower panels are very high quality, they do carry a hefty premium and so it will be necessary to decide if they are worth the extra expense.
SunPower is also very popular with Australian installers. In the SolarQuotes Installers’ Choice Awards, SunPower was voted second in the best solar panels in 2023 category, and also achieved second place for best after-sales support.
Mary
Penrith Solar Centre use SunPower Performance panels, which is a high grade solar panel. We wanted high quality performing solar panels. Bought From: Penrith Solar Centre Show additional information
PV-Module
Wir setzen auf unserer Website Cookies ein. Einige von ihnen sind essenziell (z.B. für den Warenkorb), während andere uns helfen unser Onlineangebot zu verbessern und wirtschaftlich zu betreiben. Sie können dies akzeptieren oder per Klick auf die Schaltfläche Nur essenzielle Cookies akzeptieren ablehnen.
Cookie Übersicht
Hier finden Sie eine Übersicht über alle verwendeten Cookies. Sie können Ihre Zustimmung zu ganzen Kategorien geben oder sich weitere Informationen anzeigen lassen und so nur bestimmte Cookies auswählen.
Essentielle Cookies
Essenzielle Cookies ermöglichen grundlegende Funktionen und sind für die einwandfreie Funktion der Website erforderlich.
| ebiztrader |
| Keine Übermittlung an Drittanbieter |
| Cookies zur Steuerung des Login Prozesses der Shopkunden. |
| ebiztrader |
| Browsersitzung (Session) |
| cookies_consent |
| Keine Übermittlung an Drittanbieter |
| Cookie zur Steuerung des Hinweises auf die Cookies. |
| cookies_consent |
| 30 Tage |
| cookies_consent_ad |
| Keine Übermittlung an Drittanbieter |
| Cookie zur Steuerung der Einbindung der Marketing Cookies. |
| cookies_consent_ad |
| 30 Tage |
Marketing Cookies
Marketing-Cookies werden von Drittanbietern oder Publishern verwendet, um personalisierte Werbung anzuzeigen. Sie tun dies, indem sie Besucher über Websites hinweg verfolgen.
| Aus |
| Google Analytics |
| Google LLC |
| Cookie von Google für Website-Analysen. Erzeugt statistische Daten darüber, wie der Besucher die Website nutzt. |
| _ga,_gat,_gid |
| 2 Jahre |
WartungsarbeitenHeute von 15-23 Uhr wird unser SecondSol Marktplatz nicht erreichbar sein.
MaintenanceToday from 3pm-11pm our website will be unavailable.
OnderhoudVandaag van 15-23 uur zal onze website niet beschikbaar zijn.
ManetenzioneOggi dalle 15 alle 23 il nostro sito web no sarà disponible.
Sunpower SPR-X21-345
Chcete vědět, jak tento výrobek dopadl v našem testu fotovoltaických panelů ?
Chci se stát předplatitelem již od 3,40 €
- Každý měsíc časopis přímo do schránky
- Přístupy do webové databáze všech testů
- Mobilní aplikace s výsledky testů
Celkové hodnotenie Výsledok testu pre prihlásených
vizuálna kontrola Pre zobrazenie výsledkov sa prihláste
počiatočná kontrola Pre zobrazenie výsledkov sa prihláste záverečná kontrola Pre zobrazenie výsledkov sa prihláste
elektroluminiscenčné meranie Pre zobrazenie výsledkov sa prihláste
mikrotrhliny z výroby Pre zobrazenie výsledkov sa prihláste mikrotrhliny zo skladovania a transportu Pre zobrazenie výsledkov sa prihláste pomer článkov s mikrotrhlinami Pre zobrazenie výsledkov sa prihláste
maximálny výkon Pre zobrazenie výsledkov sa prihláste
deklarovaný maximálny výkon 345 W maximálny výkon nameraný na začiatku testu Pre zobrazenie výsledkov sa prihláste maximálny výkon nameraný na konci testu Pre zobrazenie výsledkov sa prihláste rozdiel v deklarovanom a nameranom výkone 2,2 % deklarovaná účinnosť panelu Pre zobrazenie výsledkov sa prihláste nameraná účinnosť panelu 21,6 % rozdiel deklarovanej a zmeranej účinnosti 2 %
prepúšťanie vlhkosti Pre zobrazenie výsledkov sa prihláste
technické údaje / vybavenie
technológia Pre zobrazenie výsledkov sa prihláste šírka panela Pre zobrazenie výsledkov sa prihláste výška panela Pre zobrazenie výsledkov sa prihláste hĺbka panela Pre zobrazenie výsledkov sa prihláste dĺžka kábla Pre zobrazenie výsledkov sa prihláste hmotnosť panela Pre zobrazenie výsledkov sa prihláste počet článkov Pre zobrazenie výsledkov sa prihláste šírka článkov Pre zobrazenie výsledkov sa prihláste dĺžka článkov Pre zobrazenie výsledkov sa prihláste záruka na fyzické poškodenie Pre zobrazenie výsledkov sa prihláste stupeň krytia pripojovacej krabice Pre zobrazenie výsledkov sa prihláste Impp: prevádzkový prúd Pre zobrazenie výsledkov sa prihláste Vmpp: prevádzkové napätie Pre zobrazenie výsledkov sa prihláste Isc: prúd nakrátko Pre zobrazenie výsledkov sa prihláste Voc: napätie naprázdno Pre zobrazenie výsledkov sa prihláste maximálne mechanické zaťaženie Pre zobrazenie výsledkov sa prihláste typ konektora Pre zobrazenie výsledkov sa prihláste krajina pôvodu Pre zobrazenie výsledkov sa prihláste