SunPower

Founded in 1985, SunPower Corporation is a solar company that prides itself on delivering reliable energy and long-term peace of mind for homeowners and businesses. The company is a pioneer in the industry and currently holds more than 500 U.S. patents for solar technology. As a leader in the solar industry, SunPower reviews are generally positive, frequently highlighting the company's professionalism and streamlined solar process. This SunPower review will provide an inside look at the company's services, as well as customer sentiment.

SunPower PV solar panels are renowned for generating more power than conventional solar technologies. SunPower solar panels have an attractive appearance and come in a few different size and wattage options to help both residential and commercial consumers get started with renewable energy. The majority of SunPower installations are completed by its expansive network of certified dealers.

Keep reading to discover The Good, The Bad, and The Bottom Line about SunPower, and check out SunPower reviews from real customers.

• Purchase, Lease, PPA, and Loan Options Available


• SunPower Solar Panels


• SunPower Solar Panel Energy Production


• Aesthetics Options


• SunPower SunVault® Battery Storage


• Solar Monitoring with Panel Level Data 


• SunPower Solar Warranties

Purchase, Lease, PPA, and Loan Options Available

There are three different payment options for customers to choose from to help them save on their electric bill: solar lease or PPA, purchasing with cash, and financing with a loan. All loans are issued by Technology Credit Union or Mosaic.

With the lease or PPA option, SunPower Capital owns the system and the customer effectively rents the system via monthly payments. The lease and PPA both offer $0 down options, come with an energy performance guarantee (PeGu) for the duration of their agreement, as well as easy options in case the customer needs to transfer the lease/PPA.

There are also cash purchase and loan options for customers who may qualify for the federal solar income tax credit and other incentives that can supplement the benefits of solar power ownership.* Qualification for the federal solar tax credit is not required in order to obtain a loan. Loan terms for SunPower solar systems typically range from 5 to 25 years and do not have any prepayment penalties attached.

The cost of a SunPower solar system ultimately depends on several factors, including typical energy usage, available amount of unshaded roof space, the local utility’s net metering policy, and other factors. The easiest way to learn exactly how much solar will cost you is to obtain a free quote from SunPower.

* Tax credits subject to change. SunPower does not warrant, guarantee or otherwise advise its partners or customers about specific tax outcomes. Consult your tax advisor regarding the solar tax credit and how it applies to your specific circumstances. Please visit the dsireusa.org website for detailed solar policy information.

SunPower Solar Panels

SunPower has been a leader in the solar industry for nearly four decades. SunPower provides high quality solar systems with components that are designed to work seamlessly together. Each component of the SunPower Equinox® home solar system is rigorously tested to their high standards to provide customers an optimal solar experience. From part qualifications and vendor verification to extended reliability testing (beyond requirements by the International Electrotechnical Commission), these comprehensive quality standards help ensure that their panels will perform for years to come. 

SunPower Solar Panel Energy Production

SunPower offers the industry’s leading efficient panel within their M-Series (440W panel) of up to 22.8 percent efficiency. This means that SunPower M440 panels can provide more clean power for its customers’ homes with less roof space and fewer panels than other companies to meet their energy goals.

Aesthetics Options

SunPower offers front-contact and back contact solar panels. SunPower’s front contact solar panels are designed for higher efficiency and reliability than back contact solar panels due to an extra layer that enables some of the sun’s light to be reflected back into the solar cell.  SunPower’s high performance back contact solar panels feature a copper backing that adds durability to the panel and leaves more room on the front to capture the maximum amount of sunlight.

SunPower is known for the aesthetic appearance of its solar installations due to its InvisiMount® mounting system that helps solar panels appear sleek and nearly invisible. Through this mounting system, SunPower solar installations blend in better with the rooftop on most homes.

SunPower SunVault® Battery Storage

SunPower’s SunVault storage is a powerful and sleek residential storage solution that pairs with SunPower Equinox system, the company’s premier residential solar power system. SunVault is charged by the Equinox solar system during the day when the sun is out and can be discharged to provide power when the homeowner needs it most after dark or during peak times.

The SunVault Storage system features a SunVault Battery and the Hub+™. The system size starts at 13 kilowatt-hours (kWh), but homeowners that want additional backup power can opt for additional battery units . The Hub+ features easy-to-use software to monitor solar production and home energy use, and it optimizes battery charging and discharging for local utility rates as set by the customer on the mySunPower app. SunVault can deliver twice the amount of power when compared to conventional solar storage systems.

Depending on the system size and design, SunVault can help keep essential appliances running (like the refrigerator or outlets) and can even provide power to devices that provide more comfort in a household, such as an electric vehicle charger, HVAC or washer and dryer.

SunVault Storage is covered by SunPower’s Complete Confidence Warranty under a 10-year warranty term with unlimited cycles.

Solar Monitoring with Panel Level Data

Monitoring of system status and performance is extremely important for customers who want to see how much energy the panels on their roof are producing —currently, as well as historically — and ensure that everything is operating as it should.

SunPower provides the helpful, convenient mySunPower app for customers to do just that. The app provides important system information such as power output, estimated savings, energy production over time, and the environmental impact of the energy generated by the system. Systems equipped with microinverters can view the performance of the solar system at the individual panel level with accessible panel level data, allowing homeowners to understand how system performance is impacted by weather, shading or panel angle. All of this system information is easily viewed on a smartphone.

SunPower systems also include a consumption monitoring kit, which is installed if the homeowner’s site is compatible. With consumption monitoring, homeowners can view current and historical energy usage, and the mySunPower app provides more in-depth information about their energy profile. 

SunPower Solar Warranties

SunPower offers multiple warranties to protect its customers' solar energy systems, including a 25-year Complete Confidence product warranty, which covers the equipment itself, and a 25-year workmanship warranty, which covers the labor and solar installation. The clean energy company also offers a 25-year performance warranty, which covers the customer in the event that their solar modules underperform in terms of energy production and output. Customers who go solar through a lease or PPA are covered by a warranty for the duration of their lease/PPA term, which includes a performance guarantee for production.

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• Main Issues Cited in Negative Customer Reviews

Main Issues Cited in Negative Customer Reviews

SunPower has set the standard for the solar industry in terms of quality of equipment, system performance, flexible financing, and competitive warranties. For these reasons, the company has earned nearly 3,000 five-star reviews from Best Company reviewers. That said, the company's negative reviews reveal certain areas in which SunPower could improve:

• Customer service — approximately 17 percent of negative reviews cite customer service and the main source of their complaint. Difficulty getting in touch with the correct service department and not receiving prompt, helpful responses caused the most friction among these customers.


• Monitoring/billing issues — about 15 percent of negative reviews mention monitoring and/or billing issues affecting their opinion of SunPower. These issues often stem from rare system glitches that lead to customers receiving a higher than expected true-up statement from their utility provider. 

SunPower offers the most efficient solar panels in the industry, state-of-the-art monitoring for its customers, a 25-year workmanship and product warranty, and there are a number of payment options. 

SunPower's lease and PPA programs are a cost-effective alternative to outright purchase. The company leverages its dealer network to perform most of its installations, which in some cases can make it confusing for customers to know who to contact if there is an issue; however, these dealers are SunPower-trained and -certified, so customers should experience consistently high-quality regardless of service area or SunPower dealer.