REC Solar Panels: An Independent Review by Solar Choice

Note: Solar Choice is not affiliated with REC Solar Panels or any solar installer and has no financial or other incentives to promote any product brand over another.

Overview of REC Group – Company History

Founded in Norway in 1996, REC Group is one of the original manufacturers of solar photovoltaic modules with a focus on premium quality. Originally production was completed in Norway and Sweden. In 2010 they became fully automated, producing 26 million solar panels in their production plant in Singapore. In 2015 Norway’s Elkem Group (Bluestar Investment Co. Ltd) acquired REC. Elkem is a world leader in silicon production, which aided the development of REC’s integrated photovoltaics in the global market. More recently in 2021 REC has been acquired by Reliance New Energy Solar, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries. Reliance is India’s largest private sector company with activities spanning hydrocarbon exploration and production, petroleum refining, petrochemicals, retail and digital services.

REC Group now has 8 offices across the globe including an Australian office in the Melbourne CBD. The REC Certified Solar Professional Program enables solar installers to become ‘certified’ with them enabling them to offer longer warranty periods to their customers including a product and labour warranty of up to 25 years.

For those looking for an independent REC solar panels review, we’ve done our research and written extensively on this topic:

Key Indicators

What is a Bloomberg Tier 1 Solar Panel?

Bloomberg’s infamous tier 1 ranking is NOT a measure of Solar Panel quality. It is just an indication of the bankability of the manufacturer based on publicly released information on the financial health of the company. This should give you an idea if the company is a large, well-known manufacturer.

REC Group were ranked on the Bloomberg tier 1 list as of Q4 2020.

See full list of Bloomberg Tier 1 Solar Panels

What is PV Evolution Labs Top Performer?

PV Evolution Labs with support from DNV GL independently test solar panel reliability. The tests are voluntary, with solar panel manufacturers paying to participate in the testing. This testing process is internationally renowned and is an accurate reflection of the solar panel’s performance.

REC solar panels are currently NOT ranked in the PV Evolution Labs Top Performers in the latest 2024 report.

See full list of PV Evolution Labs Top Performing Solar Panels

Why is office location in Australia Important?

Most solar panel manufacturers entering the Australian market first set up their distribution channels and worry about customer service later. This has led to many unhappy customers who are left trying to contact Chinese head offices to claim on their 10-year product performance warranty.

Relying on your solar installer is not always an option as we’ve seen many residential solar installers (including the large ones) go out of business well within the lifetime of the systems they are installing. 

REC has an Australian office located in Melbourne.

How much do REC Solar Panels cost?

Based on Solar Choice’s database we have provided the below-average costs as an indicative guide. These prices include:

• Full turnkey Solar System with REC Solar Panels
• Installation from a pre-vetted reputable installer from Solar Choice’s network
• Small Scale Technology Certificates (STC) rebate and GST

Important Note: Prices will vary depending on location, inverter brand and which installer is used

REC Solar Panels – Points of Difference

There are many solar panels out there, what makes REC solar panels stand out?

Long Product Warranty

Now that LG have dropped out of the market, REC is one the leading premium solar panel manufacturers. They aim to lead the market in quality and reliability, and as a result offer an industry leading 25 year product warranty. REC solar panels have been shown to be more resilient in corrosive coastal conditions and are tested independently to higher standards than most panels. For example they have been called a top performer by PV Evolution Labs solar module scorecard.

Lower Degradation Rate

REC’s top quality Alpha Pure series solar panels lose only 0.25% of their power annually after the first year and still retain over 92% of their nameplate value after 25 years. At the time of writing, the only other solar panel on the market to match this degradation rate is the Sunpower Maxeon 5. This means this REC solar panel will deliver significantly more power than other solar panels on the market through the course of its 25-year lifetime. 

REC’s Warranty Offer for Australian Customers

Solar panels in the Australian market come with a performance warranty and a product warranty.

The product warranty is probably the more important one as it covers manufacturing defects and most problems experienced with solar panels. The new series of REC Alpha Solar offers 25 years for their limited product & labour warranty* on their panels that are sold in Australia which is just about as good as it gets for residential solar panels. While the other series of REC panels offer a 20 year product warranty which can be extended to 25 years if the installer is a ‘REC accredited installer’.

The performance warranty of REC solar panels is also industry leading. The Alpha and N-peak 2 series offer a guarantee that the solar panels won’t degrade more than 2% in the first year and 0.25% per year thereafter for another 24 years. That means they will be performing to at least 92% of their nameplate value after 25 years. The twin-peak 2 series has a slightly lower guarantee of 0.5% per year for years 2-25 landing at 86% of the nameplate value after 25 years.

REC have a very clearly documented process to claim a warranty directly if your solar installer is no longer around to help you. 

Unlike most solar panel warranties REC will also cover the labour required during a warranty claim process if the solar panel is installed by an ‘accredited REC solar installer’.

*REC warranty conditions apply

Click here to read REC’s full Australian warranty document

REC Panel Technologies

Half-cut cells are the innovation that REC is best known for. The split module design allows for a more efficient solar panel than the standard cell design, providing a number of advantages. Many other manufacturers are developing their own half-cut cell panels. The REC Group has opened a patent infringement lawsuit against Hanwha Q Cells in China, over the half-cut cell technology.

REC Alpha Pure Series

The REC Alpha Pure series features REC’s leading technology which offers greater performance characteristics that almost all solar panels available on the market.

The solar panel is made up of 80 half-cut heterojunction solar cells utilising N-type silicon. The solar cells are connected using lead-free and gapless technology, and are encased in 3.2mm glass and a black aluminium frame.

This all leads to an maximum efficiency rating of 22.3% (REC430AA Pure-R) and a degradation rate of only 0.25% per year after the first year. Most solar panels degrade at 0.5% to 0.7%, so this is a clear advantage of the REC Alpha Pure Series.

The REC Alpha Pure features a temperature co-efficient of -0.24 %/°C which means there will be minimal loss in performance in very hot or cold climates.

REC TwinPeak 5 Series

The TwinPeak 5 series is REC’s other solar panel model sold in Australia which offers slightly lower performance characteristics than the Alpha Pure R.

The TwinPeak 5 series ranges from 395W to 410W utilising 132 half cut P-type solar cells. As a result the solar panel max efficiency rating reaches up to 20.8% which is more in the mid-range of what is available on the market.

The solar panel does still feature the two back supports on the frame. REC also offers a 25-year product warranty on this series if the panel is installed by a ‘REC Certified’ installer.

This solar panel comes with black or silver frame which can align with the customer preference for the appearance of the system.

REC Solar Panel Specifications

Pros and Cons of REC Solar Panels

Should I Buy REC Solar Panels?

In our opinion you can’t go wrong with any of the REC solar panels offered in Australia. If its in your budget then REC solar panels represent some of the best quality you can get in Australia. REC Solar Panels are best suited to homeowners who plan to be in the property long-term so they can enjoy the hassle-free life of the products.

Example of a REC Commercial Solar Project

In March 2020, REC Group installed the below commercial rooftop system on a farm in the Netherlands. The system REC installed is the largest REC Alpha panel setup in Europe, with the 1,415m² system’s capacity totalling 268.56 kWp.

This system contains 746 REC Alpha panels and has the capacity to generate around 240,000 kWh of power a year. To put it into perspective, this much power could supply 80 average houses with electricity for a year.

Read more product reviews from Solar Choice

• About
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Jeff Sykes

CEO at Solar Choice

Jeff has consulted on over 20MW of commercial solar projects, ranging from SMEs to ASX top 100 companies. Jeff has also provided independent advice to 100s of residential solar, battery and EV charging customers across every state in Australia. He holds an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management and is an expert in business strategy and financial analysis.

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