The Two Warranties Hidden Inside “25 Years”
Every solar panel carries two separate warranties, and sellers routinely blur them together:
| Product Warranty | Performance Warranty | |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | Typically 12–15 years | Typically 25–30 years |
| Covers | Manufacturing defects: delamination, frame failure, junction box faults, hotspots from cell defects | Guaranteed minimum output: e.g., ≥ 87–89% of nameplate at year 25/30 |
| What you get | Repair or replacement of the panel | Compensation/replacement only if measured output falls below the guaranteed degradation curve |
When a seller says “25-year warranty,” they almost always mean the performance warranty. If the frame corrodes in year 14, the performance warranty does not help you — that was a product warranty issue, and it expired.
What the Performance Warranty Really Promises
A typical N-type panel warrants ~1% maximum degradation in year one and ~0.4% per year after, ending near 87–89% at year 30. Two things to understand:
- Proving a claim requires measurement. You need the original flash test report (your panel’s certified day-one output) and a calibrated field measurement showing output below the curve — not just “my bill went up.” This is one more reason to demand the flash test report at delivery, as covered in our brand verification guide.
- Degradation is rarely the real-world problem. Most underperforming systems in Bangladesh lose output to dust, shading, undersized cable and inverter faults — none of which any panel warranty covers. See why cheap solar systems fail in 3–5 years.
What Voids a Panel Warranty
- Improper installation — wrong clamping zones, over-torqued clamps, drilling the frame. (Installer error voids the manufacturer’s coverage — your installer’s own workmanship warranty is what protects you here.)
- Physical damage after delivery — micro-cracks from walking on panels or careless rooftop handling.
- Unauthorized system configurations — exceeding maximum system voltage or reverse-current limits with a mismatched inverter or string design.
- Missing purchase trail — no invoice from an authorized channel, no serial record, no claim.
The Bangladesh Question: Who Actually Honours It?
A warranty is only as real as the local entity that services it. A panel bought through the official importer gives you a claim path: installer → importer → manufacturer. A grey-channel panel — even a genuine Tier-1 one — often has no Bangladesh claim path at all; the manufacturer’s regional office will refer you to an importer who never sold it.
Before buying, ask these four questions and expect written answers:
- Who is the official importer of record for these exact panels?
- Will I receive the flash test report and serial list with delivery?
- Who do I call in year 6 — and does that company handle the logistics of replacement, or do I ship panels to China myself?
- Is the installer’s workmanship warranty (structure, cabling, waterproofing) written separately from the product warranties?
That last one matters most: the manufacturer covers the panel, but nobody but your installer covers the installation. Frostec documents both in every handover — see our warranty & handover policy.
Warranty vs Price: The Honest Trade-off
Grey-channel panels are often ৳2–4 per watt cheaper (see current prices). On a 5kW system that saves ৳10,000–20,000 — and removes warranty protection from an asset worth several lakh taka for 25 years. It is one of the clearest bad trades in the industry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do solar panels really last 25 years?
Quality panels genuinely do, at reduced output per the degradation curve. In Bangladesh the practical lifespan is usually decided by installation quality and maintenance, not the panel itself.
Is the battery or inverter covered by the 25-year warranty?
No. Inverter warranties are typically 5–10 years, battery warranties 3–8 years depending on chemistry. Whole-system warranty claims are a red flag of a seller blurring terms.
What warranty should I expect from the installer?
A written workmanship warranty covering structure, wiring, waterproofing and system performance for a defined period, separate from manufacturer terms — this is standard in every Frostec quotation.
Want warranty terms you can actually enforce? Request a quotation — every Frostec proposal lists the product warranty, performance warranty and our workmanship warranty in writing, with the official import channel named.
