Panels come with two separate warranties and people routinely quote the longer one when they mean the shorter. A product warranty covers defects in the panel itself and typically runs a decade or so. A performance warranty guarantees minimum output and typically runs twenty-five years or more.
A panel that delaminates in year fifteen is outside the product warranty even though the performance warranty is still running, and that is exactly the situation people discover at the wrong moment. Our note on solar charge controllers covers where both are listed.
A Note on Legal Terms
Warranty terms vary between manufacturers and jurisdictions, and consumer protection law in your area may grant rights beyond what a warranty document offers. This is general information rather than legal advice, and the specific document supplied with your panels is the authority.
Quick Answer
The product warranty covers manufacturing defects for a shorter term. The performance warranty guarantees a minimum percentage of rated output over a much longer term. Labor, shipping, and roof work are frequently excluded from both.
Product Warranty
This covers defects in materials and workmanship: failed junction boxes, delamination, frame corrosion, and internal faults that are not the result of damage or misuse.
Terms vary widely between manufacturers, and this is one of the clearest practical differences between budget and premium panels. Comparing product warranty length tells you something real about how confident a manufacturer is in its own build quality.
What it generally does not cover is physical damage from hail, impact, or storms, which falls to insurance rather than the manufacturer.
Installation errors are also excluded, which is where the installer’s own workmanship warranty becomes relevant. Our note on how to choose a charge controller covers identifying a defect.
Performance Warranty
This guarantees the panel will still produce at least a stated percentage of its original rated output at specific points in time.
It is usually expressed as a curve rather than a single number: a larger allowed drop across the first year, then a steady annual degradation rate, arriving at a guaranteed minimum output at the end of the term.
Claiming against it requires demonstrating that output has fallen below the guaranteed curve, which is harder than it sounds because it means separating panel degradation from dirt, shading, inverter faults, and weather.
The guarantee applies to the panel under standard test conditions rather than to your system’s real-world production, which is a distinction that surprises people. Our roundup of production meters covers building the evidence.
Common Exclusions
Labor and removal
Many warranties replace the panel and not the cost of getting it off the roof and a new one back up. That cost can exceed the panel’s value.
Shipping
Freight for the replacement is frequently the owner’s responsibility, and panels are heavy and awkward.
Damage and weather
Hail, wind, lightning, and impact are insurance matters rather than warranty matters.
Improper installation
Incorrect mounting, wiring faults, and exceeding voltage limits all void coverage. This is a strong argument for qualified installation. Our roundup of mounting kits covers doing it correctly.
The Installer’s Warranty Is a Third Document
People talk about two warranties and there are usually three, because the installer provides their own workmanship guarantee separate from anything the manufacturer offers.
That covers the installation itself: mounting, flashing, roof penetrations, wiring, and commissioning. A leak around a roof penetration is an installer matter and has nothing to do with the panel manufacturer.
Workmanship warranties are typically much shorter than either manufacturer warranty, and they vary enormously between installers. It is one of the more meaningful differences between quotes and one of the least examined.
The gap matters because the most likely early problem with a rooftop system is a leak rather than a panel defect, and the manufacturer’s twenty-five year guarantee does nothing about it.
Our roundup of solar panel grounding equipment covers the hardware that warranty applies to.
Inverters and Batteries Have Their Own Terms
The panels are the longest-lived component and usually the least likely to need a claim, which makes it odd that they get all the warranty attention.
Inverter warranties are typically much shorter, and the inverter is the component most likely to fail first. Some manufacturers sell extensions, which for a component with a known finite life is worth pricing.
Battery warranties are frequently expressed in throughput or cycles as well as years, so heavy cycling can exhaust the guarantee before the calendar does. Reading which limit applies first matters.
Comparing whole-system warranty exposure rather than panel warranty alone gives a much more accurate picture of what you are actually covered for. Our roundup of power inverters covers that component.
Whether the Company Will Still Exist
A twenty-five year warranty is only as good as the entity honoring it, and solar manufacturers have gone out of business before.
Established manufacturers with long trading histories and diversified businesses are a safer bet than new entrants competing on price, and that is a real consideration rather than brand snobbery.
Some manufacturers offer warranty insurance backed by a third party, which survives the manufacturer failing. That is worth looking for on a long-term purchase.
Where panels are bought through an installer, the installer’s obligations may differ from the manufacturer’s and may also outlast or predecease them.
Making a Claim
Documentation is the whole thing. Keep the purchase invoice, the serial numbers, the datasheet current at time of purchase, and production data from the start.
Most manufacturers require a claim to be routed through the original installer or seller rather than made directly, which matters a great deal if that business no longer exists.
Expect to supply evidence: photographs of any visible defect, production records demonstrating the shortfall, and frequently an inspection report from a qualified technician arranged at your own expense.
Claims take time, and continuing to produce with a degraded panel while a claim proceeds is normal. Our note on 100 watt solar panels covers gathering initial evidence.
None of that is unusual or unreasonable, and all of it is far easier to arrange before a fault than during one.
What to Check Before Buying
Compare product warranty length between candidates, since that is where manufacturers differentiate most and where early failures land.
Read the performance guarantee’s actual numbers rather than the headline year. A guarantee of a higher percentage at year twenty-five is meaningfully better than a longer term at a lower percentage.
Check whether labor and shipping are included, because a warranty that replaces a panel but not the cost of fitting it is worth considerably less.
Confirm what documentation you will need to retain, and start keeping it from installation rather than from the day something goes wrong. Our roundup of solar panel kits covers packaged purchases where warranty terms differ.
Solar Warranty FAQ
What is the difference between the two warranties?
The product warranty covers manufacturing defects for a shorter term. The performance warranty guarantees minimum output for a much longer one. A defect in year fifteen may be outside the first while the second still runs.
Does the warranty cover hail damage?
Generally not. Physical damage from hail, wind, lightning, and impact is an insurance matter rather than a manufacturer’s responsibility.
Will they pay for labor?
Frequently not. Many warranties supply a replacement panel without covering removal, reinstallation, or shipping, and those costs can exceed the panel’s value.
How do I prove a performance claim?
With production data showing output below the guaranteed curve, having ruled out dirt, shading, and inverter faults. An inspection report at your own expense is often required.
Does DIY installation void the warranty?
Improper installation voids coverage, and what counts as improper is defined by the manufacturer. Incorrect mounting, wiring faults, and exceeding voltage limits are common causes.
What if the manufacturer goes out of business?
The warranty generally goes with them. Some manufacturers carry third-party warranty insurance that survives failure, which is worth looking for on a long-term purchase.
Do I claim through the installer or the manufacturer?
Most manufacturers require claims to route through the original installer or seller, which is a problem if that business has closed. Check the process before you need it.
What should I keep?
The purchase invoice, panel serial numbers, the datasheet current at purchase, installation records, and production data from day one. The last one is what makes a performance claim provable.
Recommended Reading
See our note on choosing solar panels.
