<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:x="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:excel" xmlns:p="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:powerpoint" xmlns:a="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:access" xmlns:dt="uuid:C2F41010-65B3-11d1-A29F-00AA00C14882" xmlns:s="uuid:BDC6E3F0-6DA3-11d1-A2A3-00AA00C14882" xmlns:rs="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:rowset" xmlns:z="#RowsetSchema" xmlns:b="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:publisher" xmlns:ss="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:spreadsheet" xmlns:c="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:component:spreadsheet" xmlns:odc="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:odc" xmlns:oa="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:activation" xmlns:html="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40" xmlns:q="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns:rtc="http://microsoft.com/officenet/conferencing" xmlns:D="DAV:" xmlns:Repl="http://schemas.microsoft.com/repl/" xmlns:mt="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/meetings/" xmlns:x2="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/excel/2003/xml" xmlns:ppda="http://www.passport.com/NameSpace.xsd" xmlns:ois="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/ois/" xmlns:dir="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/directory/" xmlns:ds="http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#" xmlns:dsp="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/dsp" xmlns:udc="http://schemas.microsoft.com/data/udc" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:sub="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/2002/1/alerts/" xmlns:ec="http://www.w3.org/2001/04/xmlenc#" xmlns:sp="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/" xmlns:sps="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:udcs="http://schemas.microsoft.com/data/udc/soap" xmlns:udcxf="http://schemas.microsoft.com/data/udc/xmlfile" xmlns:udcp2p="http://schemas.microsoft.com/data/udc/parttopart" xmlns:wf="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/workflow/" xmlns:dsss="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2006/digsig-setup" xmlns:dssi="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2006/digsig" xmlns:mdssi="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/package/2006/digital-signature" xmlns:mver="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns:mrels="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/package/2006/relationships" xmlns:spwp="http://microsoft.com/sharepoint/webpartpages" xmlns:ex12t="http://schemas.microsoft.com/exchange/services/2006/types" xmlns:ex12m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/exchange/services/2006/messages" xmlns:pptsl="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/SlideLibrary/" xmlns:spsl="http://microsoft.com/webservices/SharePointPortalServer/PublishedLinksService" xmlns:Z="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:" xmlns:st="" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)"><!--[if !mso]><style>v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body bgcolor=white lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Sounds like you are making a good argument for microinverters. We’ve already had that warranty discussion, but if module mismatch is an expensive and difficult to manage module warranty issue, microinverters allow you to, a) not replace a bad module, or b) replace it with a different module if physical size permits.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>All I am saying is that warranty becomes less of an issue as equipment prices drop. When my DVD player cost $500 I wanted a warranty. When it cost $29, not so much.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Jason Szumlanski<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Fafco Solar<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:windowtext'> re-wrenches-bounces@lists.re-wrenches.org [mailto:re-wrenches-bounces@lists.re-wrenches.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Joel Davidson<br><b>Sent:</b> Thursday, August 18, 2011 5:48 PM<br><b>To:</b> RE-wrenches<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [RE-wrenches] Evergreen goes down<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Hello Jason,</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:windowtext'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:windowtext'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Warranty coverage could be a non-issue if you buy from a company with a warranty escrow account. Still, call-back costs and finding same-size, same-spec replacement modules costs do matter. Factor in travel time, labor, troubleshooting, finding replacement modules, paperwork, phone calls, etc. to replace 200-watt modules that cost less than $400? Not to mention how selling bad products and buying from unreliable suppliers affect your reputation. How many spare modules and inverters can a contractor afford to stock? The risk is always there because even reputable manufacturers make bad modules. The pile of bad modules made by reputable companies keeps growing. Europeans have recently recycled 600 tonnes of solar modules plus thousands of dead inverters. See <br><a href="http://www.waste-management-world.com/index/display/article-display/2373267650/articles/waste-management-world/opinion/2011/08/Solar_PV_Recycling_-_One_Step_Ahead_.html"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>http://www.waste-management-world.com/index/display/article-display/2373267650/articles/waste-management-world/opinion/2011/08/Solar_PV_Recycling_-_One_Step_Ahead_.html</span></a></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:windowtext'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:windowtext'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>600 tonnes at 40 lbs/module = approx 33,000 modules at 150 watts = approx 5 MW. 5 MW sounds like a lot but is only 0.03% of the 16 GW installed PV in Europe. Are wrenches seeing less than 0.03% of the modules they install ending up in the trash or sent back to the manufacturer?</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:windowtext'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:windowtext'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Yes, Astropower made a good module. Some good people use to work there.</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:windowtext'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:windowtext'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Joel Davidson</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:windowtext'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid black 1.5pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 4.0pt;margin-left:3.75pt;margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>----- Original Message ----- <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='background:#E4E4E4'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'> <a href="mailto:Jason@fafcosolar.com" title="Jason@fafcosolar.com">Jason Szumlanski</a> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>To:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'> <a href="mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org" title="re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org">RE-wrenches</a> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Sent:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'> Thursday, August 18, 2011 12:10 PM<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Subject:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'> Re: [RE-wrenches] Evergreen goes down<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:windowtext'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Pretty soon I believe warranty coverage will become a virtual non-issue. At well under $2/watt, does it matter much anymore? Is there really that much risk of product or performance failure with most reputable manufacturers?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Yes, I paid $10+/w for Astropower modules over a decade ago, and warranty definitely mattered at that time.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Anyway… sad to see them go. We were a big fan for a while.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Jason Szumlanski<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Fafco Solar</span><span style='font-size:4.0pt;color:#1F497D'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:windowtext'> re-wrenches-bounces@lists.re-wrenches.org [mailto:re-wrenches-bounces@lists.re-wrenches.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>boB Gudgel<br><b>Sent:</b> Thursday, August 18, 2011 2:23 PM<br><b>To:</b> RE-wrenches<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [RE-wrenches] Evergreen goes down<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>On 8/18/2011 11:10 AM, Marco Mangelsdorf wrote: <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Evergreen Solar, one of the last remaining independent U.S. module manufacturers, announced their plan to file for bankruptcy protection this week.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Done in by plummeting module pricing no doubt.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I’m sure you all are getting the same kind of solicitation emails that I get from mod manufacturers and wholesalers from across the globe peddling mods at low, low prices, including Evergreen.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Anyone have any idea what’s going to happen to the warranty coverage for Evergreen mods? Will they become unwanted, unwarrantied orphans, a la Astropower?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Sad, sad….<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>marco<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><br><br><br>I'd beware of newer companies offering say, 50 year warranties !<br><br>Hopefully NOT the new business model !<br><br>boB<br><br><br><br><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:windowtext'><hr size=2 width="100%" align=center></span></div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:windowtext'>_______________________________________________<br>List sponsored by Home Power magazine<br><br>List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org<br><br>Options & settings:<br>http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org<br><br>List-Archive: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org<br><br>List rules & etiquette:<br>www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm<br><br>Check out participant bios:<br>www.members.re-wrenches.org<o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote></div></body></html>