The Solar panels
Solar panels last a long time. They have no moving parts and are sealed from the elements. They can withstand all kinds of weather.
In the documentation we send with your system, you’ll see that the product is warranted to perform to 80% of its rated power for 25 years. In year 25, therefore, you should still be looking forward to generating electricity for many years to come (by that time at a utility rate three times as high).
Lastly, as the panels represent the bulk of the hardware cost, your investment is covered for the full 25-year life of the system’s warranty.
The Inverter & other components
The inverter is the electrical box that turns the direct current (or DC) electricity produced by the panels into the alternating current (or AC) electricity used by the utility grid and your household appliances. The inverter may need replacing sometime after its 10-year warranty expires.
If your inverter does fail after 10 years, this will marginally reduce the financial profit forecast by Sungevity. Call a Sungevity consultant at 877.257.8648 for more information and an estimate of this potential cost.
All the other components, from the wiring to the panel-mounting frames, should require no operational maintenance or replacement for the full 25-year life of the panel warranty.
The Weather
While the amount of sunlight varies daily and seasonally, solar energy generation is extremely predictable long-term. Sungevity uses 30 years of historical solar data to predict your system's output, and then uses utility rate data to accurately estimate your financial savings.
The net result is a low-cost, predictable stream of electricity savings, so buyers of solar (like Wal-Mart, Goldman Sachs, and millions of homeowners around the world) know that they are going to recoup their investment while making a great return.
The sun isn’t going anywhere soon, so you get secure, recurring electricity savings!
Electricity value
California law ensures access to the grid for solar energy systems. Customers choosing to invest in solar are guaranteed the ability to plug their solar system into the utility grid.