[RE-wrenches] Warranty replacements

[Rebecca Lundberg]

We are starting to see a fairly steady stream of various solar electronics
needing replacement under warranty, including micro-inverters, AC modules
(microinverter failing), and even modules with an integrated DC electronic
component failing to work from the get go. I work with residential
customers and care about doing right by them, and of course they expect
that their warrantied part will be replaced at no cost to them, they have
already invested a lot in their solar project. Sometimes the manufacturer
has a stipend which at least offsets the cost of gas but does not cover
time to travel to the site and do the replacement, but I have recently come
across several manufacturers who do not give any stipend at all and I am
surprised at that. Replacing a module in the middle of a pitched roof is no
small feat, and getting to micro inverters on a steep pitch is always a
challenge. As the code requires more safety features down to the module
level, I suspect we will see more and more of this, and the electronics are
no longer at ground level and easily accessible. What ideas do you have
about how to deal with this? Must we have an O and M contract with every
customer given current product choices?

A similar question relates to a particular module having issues
with delamination and failed diodes. We have been called out to several
sites where this has caused the inverter to sense a fault, and testing
showed the module leaking voltage to ground. Who is responsible for getting
the inverter up and running when it clearly stems from the module? I
suspect the module manufacturer's warranty legally exempts them from
responsibility, but again it is reasonable for the customer to expect a
warrantied system to be up and running.

Thoughts from the field?

Sincerely,
Rebecca Lundberg



-- 
Rebecca Lundberg
NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer ®
Owner/President
*Powerfully Green*®
763.438.1976 | Rebecca.Lundberg at PowerfullyGreen.com

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