Warranty
25-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY Valid from January 1, 2017
By purchasing the solar modules identified in Section J below (hereafter
referred to as: “products”) from SolarWorld Americas Inc. (“SolarWorld”),
you have chosen a level of quality that meets SolarWorld’s high standards.
Use of the products in accordance with regulations will reliably maintain
their function to produce electricity (hereinafter referred to as: “functional
capability”) as well as reliably maintaining the performance of the products.
As a sign of our confidence in this quality, SolarWorld is happy to grant you
(the end-user who first put the products into operation correctly or the
person who has purchased the products from such an end-user during the
warranty term) a 25-Year Limited Warranty under the terms and conditions
below:
A - Limited 20-year product warranty:
1. SolarWorld warrants to the end user that the products will be free
from defects in materials and workmanship. This warranty lasts for
twenty (20) years from the date of purchase. Subject to the conditions
contained in this warranty, SolarWorld specifically warrants that:
• the glass will not cloud or discolor;
• the cable and connector plug will function, if they are installed
professionally and not positioned in water.
• the aluminum frames will not suer damage due to freezing.
B - Limited 25-year performance guarantee:
1. SolarWorld warrants to the end user that the actual output of the
product, as measured by SolarWorld, will amount to at least 97% of
its initial eective output during the first year after purchase of the
product, and as of the second year after purchase of the product,
the eective output will decline annually by no more than 0.7%
for a period of 24 years, so that as of the end of the 25th year after
purchase, an actual output of at least 80.2% of eective output will be
achieved.
C - What SolarWorld Will Do:
1. 20-Year Product Warranty: If the product exhibits a covered defect
that aects its functional capability during this 20-year warranty
period, SolarWorld will (at SolarWorld’s discretion) either (a) repair
the defective product; (b) supply a replacement product; or (c) pay the
end-user the then-current market value of the product.
2. 25-Year Performance Guarantee: If the threshold output values are
not met in any year during the first 15 years of the 25-year term,
SolarWorld will (at SolarWorld’s discretion) either (a) repair the
defective product or (b) supply a replacement product. Between
the 16th and 25th year of coverage, SolarWorld may (at SolarWorld’s
discretion) either (a) repair the defective product; (b) supply a
replacement product; or (c) pay the end-user the then-current market
value of the product.
3. Replacement products: If replacement products are supplied,
SolarWorld may provide used and/or repaired products at SolarWorld’s
discretion.
D - Conditions for Warranty Service:
1. SolarWorld, in its sole discretion, will determine whether the product
warranty under paragraph A or the performance guarantee under
paragraph B applies to your claim.
2. The performance guarantee under paragraph B expires after 25
years from the date the product was first purchased and will not be
extended even in the event of a repair or exchange of a product.
3. SolarWorld will verify the eective output and the actual output of
the products using standard test conditions, as described under IEC
60904. The decisive measurement of performance will be carried out
by a recognized measuring institute or through SolarWorld’s own
measurements (in accordance with EN 50380).
4. If a defective product is exchanged for a replacement product,
SolarWorld will own the defective product upon receiving it.
5. The warranty terms described in paragraphs A and B each begin on
the date of the original purchase of the product, insofar as the product
was purchased by the original end-user after January 1, 2017. For
products purchased before this date, please contact your installer or
SolarWorld at the address in Section H for the applicable warranty.
6. Warranty service is unavailable if the manufacturer’s labels or serial
numbers on the products have been changed, deleted, peeled o or
made unrecognizable.
E - How to get service:
To obtain warranty service, you must inform the authorized seller/dealer of
the product of the alleged defect in writing. If that seller/dealer no longer
exists, you may send this written notification to the address in Section
H. You must include the original sales receipt (as evidence of the time of
the purchase of the SolarWorld products) with any warranty claim. The
claim must be made within six weeks of your discovery of the defect. After
submitting a claim, SolarWorld will provide you with a questionnaire to
determine the source of the defect. If SolarWorld determines that the
defect is covered under this warranty, it will issue a return authorization.
You must obtain a return authorization from SolarWorld before
shipping any products to SolarWorld. Warranty service does not include
transportation costs to return the products or new delivery of repaired
or replacement products. It also does not cover the costs of removal,
installation or reinstallation of products. Removal of the products must
be performed in accordance with applicable local codes and SolarWorld
installation instructions.
F - Exclusions:
1. Warranty service is available only if the product is properly assembled,
used, operated and maintained in accordance with all applicable local
codes and SolarWorld installation instructions. The 20-year warranty
and 25-year guarantee do not apply in the following cases:
a. Defects caused by improper storage, transportation, handling,
installation, assembly, operation or maintenance not in accordance
with SolarWorld specifications and manuals, either by you, an
installer or delivery.
b. Improper or incorrectly performed exchange, repair or any
modification of the products.
c. Failure caused by neglect, abuse, misuse or improper upkeep and
maintenance.
d. Damage to the cable caused by abrasion on a rough surface due to
insucient fixing or unprotected running of the cable over sharp
edges.
e. Damage to the preexisting customer system or incompatibility of
the products with the customer’s preexisting system equipment.
f. Use of products on mobile units such as vehicles or water vessels.
g. Dirt or debris on the faceplate.
h. Damage caused by smoke, salt, or other chemicals or corrosive
substances.
i. Damage or failures caused by external factors (including weather,
animals, vandalism, accidents and the like).
j. Scratches, stains, mechanical wear, rust, mold, optical deterioration,
discoloration and other changes that occurred after delivery that
do not aect product performance, other than discoloration of the
glass.
k. Force Majeure events such as flooding, fire, explosions, falling rocks,
lightning strikes or other extreme weather conditions such as hail,
hurricanes, whirlwinds, sandstorms, and other circumstances
outside the control of SolarWorld.