I recently wrote about the rising solar panel defects noticed in the solar industry. There have been recent incidents that talk about the faulty solar modules and their installation. It will not be incorrect to say that there has been a quality crisis in the $77 billion solar industry. Now Solarworld has urged the solar industry to impose an acceptable quality limit (AQL) on the production of solar panels.

Solarworld is the Biggest German producer of solar panels, the company is one of the few to still have operations in Europe and USA. Solarworld produces its own wafers, cells and modules making it one of the few vertically integrated companies in Europe. This ensures higher quality control and lower costs. The company has been battered by low cost competition from China and has recently led efforts to bring anti-dumping against Chinese imports to USA. Solarworld is strongly expanding in USA as growth slows down in Germany. Solarworld is also entering the polysilicon sector through a JV with Qatar.

The company has a big manufacturing facility in Oregon and has aggressive expansion plans in the US as its domestic German market slows down. Solarworld currenty is the biggest solar panel manufacturer in the USA as the other big US companies like First Solar and Sunpower have the majority of their factories outside USA.

Solarworld has been in the solar business since decades, and now cannot afford to see the poor standards in the industry. It believes that the credibility which the companies of the like have build in years should not be shattered by the cheap and low standard manufacturing. It thinks that companies have worked too hard to build a reputation, to let solar energy be the future and a lot has been kept at stake. Hence the quality should not be compromised and therefore stresses the need for AQL – Acceptable Quality Limit. The company stringently follows the regulatory requirements of the U.S. and European markets. Solar products are designed to produce energy for decades and to turn into a full-proof investment.

Conclusion

Now-a-days, solar energy have started becoming a part of one’s day to day living. It can be in the form of a solar fan or any other solar appliances. It becomes all the more important in case of rooftop installations, that the panels are of good quality with proper fittings, since the lives of many is at stake. In such a scenario, one cannot afford any accidents. The step taken by Solarworld is really applaudable and this movement should definitely be joined in by the rest of the solar indsutry.

“We in the international solar industry who competitively struggled for decades to maximize solar’s reliability cannot now afford to watch inexperienced producers roll back our amazing progress,” said Raju Yenamandra, SolarWorld vice president for business development, who has worked at SolarWorld’s site in Camarillo, Calif., since 1980. “As consumers put money down on solar panels that come with performance guarantees of 25 years or more, they deserve to know in advance whether their guarantees are based on sound manufacturing and products,” Yenamandra said. “Otherwise, warranties are not worth the paper they’re printed on.”