Intro
REC (Renewable Energy Corp) are a private solar panel manufacturer with headquarters in Norway and operational headquarters in Singapore.
They first set up shop in 1996 and now employs over 2000 people all over the planet and produce approximately 1.5 GW of solar panels annually. Whilst not the largest solar manufacturers, REC are definitely one of the best.
REC is well known in the industry for their high quality, reliability and consistent innovation and new technology. Sitting at the top of the table with the likes of SunPower and LG, REC over the last few years have positioned themselves to become arguable one of the top three panel manufacturers globally.
Their most recent panel, The Alpha Series, is set to be another popular panel here in Australia due to the company’s reputation for high performing panels, and a panel efficiency up to 21.4%. Again, adding to the case to be classed in the top 3 in the world.
You can get more info on the Alpha Series and other recent products by:
Fully Automated Manufacturing Plant
If you know who REC are, you may have heard of their manufacturing plant in Singapore.
This huge, fully automated plant is a work of art. In 2017 they moved shipped approx. 1.5 gigawatts of panels. So, they are not the biggest, but they sure are one of the best with the level of quality that is met for every single panel that comes from the plant.
At the plant, their testing is up to “three times as stringent as industry standards”.
Part of the reason they can offer a full 20-year product warranty. (25 years if you choose a REC Certified Installer. Like Solaire Connect).
You can watch a short video of the pant in action here: CLICKING HERE
Warranty
Industry average for product warranty on panels is anywhere between 10-15 years. REC offer a full 25 years on all of their panels. (5 extra years for REC approved installers). This is great for the consumer having an extra 10 to 15 years of peace of mind for the performance of your system.
Side Note: Performance warranty is 25 years. This is standard for every panel sold and install in Australia. It is the PRODUCT warranty that fluctuates.
REC have one of the lowest recording warranty claims in the industry. Partly due to their manufacturing and testing process, partly due to their commitment for consistent improvement.
Last year, REC was named as a “Top Performer 2018” in the annual PV Module Reliability Scorecard by DNV GL, the world’s largest independent expert & certification body for renewable energy’’.
Full article below:
Technology
In an industry that is growing and changing every day, being at the forefront of technology improvements is key for any solar panel company.
This is another thing REC have done well and have become well known for.
Earlier this year they released the ALPHA Series which is set to be a big hit here in Australia. Some key features are.
• High panel efficiency of 21.4% max at 380Wp
• First multi-busbar cell with 16 micro wires.
• First heterojunction (HJT) cells in the half-cut 120 cell format.
You may have noticed the ‘first’ in a lot of their products.
Before the Alpha, REC was the first in the world to release a split module design with half-cut cells. Now most of the industry have followed and provide a split cell design module.
The next few years will be very interesting to see where this industry goes with technology advancements and which companies plow forward with the changes.
Trust
When you purchase solar, you need to be thinking long term. Not quick fix and cheapest price. The problem may not be obvious at first but after 5 years or so when the panels start failing, you will wish you would have paid a little more in the beginning.
McDonalds sell the most burgers in the world. Would you consider them the best burgers in the world?
Some panel manufactures are only interested in selling as much as then can as quick as they can. Quality is not a major priority to them.
Look into the manufacturers company structure and financial position. (Some popular panel manufacturers are in a bad way financially).
REC celebrated their 23rd birthday this week. 23 years of producing high quality panels. There are not many panel manufacturers that have been around this long. Even some of the biggest competitors say they have been around longer. The company may have been, but they haven’t been producing panels that whole time.
To get more information on REC, CLICK HERE
If you would like a REC quote for your home or business, please follow the link below