[RE-wrenches] Warranty replacement (was Astopower 120 failure)

[Nick Soleil]

Kyocera replaced 296 KC-120s for our customer and paid us more than 1$ per watt for the labor to swap em' 

 Nick Soleil
Project Manager
Advanced Alternative Energy Solutions, LLC
PO Box 657
Petaluma, CA 94953
Cell:   707-321-2937
Office: 707-789-9537
Fax:    707-769-9037




________________________________
From: Joel Davidson <joel.davidson at sbcglobal.net>
To: RE-wrenches <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>
Sent: Thu, June 10, 2010 7:12:32 PM
Subject: [RE-wrenches] Warranty replacement (was Astopower 120 failure)

Our customer, an engineer in San Diego, self-installed 28 KC120 modules in 2002. May 25, 2010, he reported that the array output stopped. The same day I emailed him that his test results indicated that the problem was bad cell interconnects, that Kyocera knew of the problem, did not recall the modules, but instead was replacing reported bad modules, and gave him some Kyocera email addresses. The next day someone from Kyocera emailed our customer. June 9 the replacement modules arrived. I don't know if he received remanufactured modules.
Joel Davidson

----- Original Message ----- From: "Bill Loesch" <solar1online at charter.net>
To: "RE-wrenches" <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2010 12:56 PM
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Astopower 120 failure



Fellow Wrenches,

Is there any variation in the "business model" of _any_ other takeover of
now defunct module manufacturers? e.g.. Siemens - Shell - SolarWorld?

I was recently at one of the solar industries current profit centers, dba
"training", which featured, among others, ET Solar (single and multicrystal
manufacturer based in China). The subject of warranty came up and the
presenter stated that their quality and power output warranty was backed up
with warranty insurance such that if ET would not be around in ten days or
ten/twenty years the insurance would still be available. Comments?

Thanks,

Bill Loesch
Solar 1 - Saint Louis Solar


----- Original Message ----- From: "Bill Brooks" <billbrooks7 at yahoo.com>
To: "'RE-wrenches'" <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2010 10:46 AM
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Astopower 120 failure


Carl and David,

Of course this means nothing related to the AstroPower warranty. The lawyers
at GE Energy were very careful to wait until AstroPower was officially dead
before they bought the Equipment to make modules from them. There is no
warranty--even though they are materially identical to the early GE product.
In the U.S. we call that "business".

Bill.


-----Original Message-----
From: re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org
[mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of David
Brearley
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2010 8:32 AM
To: RE-wrenches
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Astopower 120 failure

Carl,

Here's an excerpt from a news release that went out in late-December:

"Motech Industries Inc. (6244. TW) has signed an agreement to acquire GE
Energy�s (NYSE: GE) Delaware solar module assembly operation. The plant,
which is located in Newark, Delaware assembles crystalline silicon based
photovoltaic modules and currently employs 75 people.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

With the acquisition, Motech will be granted the rights to use GE Energy�s
module trademark for two years. In addition, Motech will assume the
responsibility to provide warranty services to GE�s existing module clients.

Motech has been a supplier of solar cells to GE Energy for the past four
years."

David Brearley, Senior Technical Editor
SolarPro magazine
NABCEP Certified PV Installer �


On 6/8/10 10:13 AM, "Carl Hansen" <solarwks at cybermesa.com> wrote:

> I have a warrantee issue with an Astropower 120, from what I've read it
> seems GE bought them out. Does anyone have contact info at hand for GE ?
>   The panel is showing two burn marks on the backing at the point of two
> adjacent solder joints on one cell.
> 
> Carl,
> Hansen&Sun Electric
> 


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