Support Centre for Installers

A photovoltaic (PV) solar system is comprised of solar panels, racks for placing the panels on your roof, electrical wiring and an inverter. From sunrise to sunset, the solar panels generate electricity (DC) which is sent to an inverter. The inverter converts the DC electricity into alternating current (AC), which is the type of electricity required for household use. The AC power is delivered directly to your home’s main electrical service panel for use by you and your family.

PV solar panels are like puzzles made of tiny solar cells, enclosed in glass. These cells are made of silicon, a bit like computer chips. They have a positive part and a negative part that work together to make electricity, kind of like a battery. SunPower solar panels also have special adhesives and coatings to protect these cells and keep them working well even in different weather conditions.

SunPower Maxeon Series:

Distinguishing Features: The Maxeon Panel series is known for its industry-leading efficiency, 40 year warranty and durability. It features SunPower's Maxeon solar cell technology, which uses a solid copper foundation for enhanced reliability and performance.

Benefits: These panels offer high efficiency, low degradation rates, and exceptional long-term energy production. They are suitable for residential and commercial installations where space is limited, and maximum energy generation is desired.

SunPower Performance Series:

Distinguishing Features: The Sunpower Performance Panel series provides a balance of efficiency and value. While slightly less efficient than the Maxeon series, these panels still offer good performance and quality. They use high efficiency mono PERC cells, as opposed to SunPower's proprietary back contact technology developed for our Maxeon panels.

Benefits: These panels are a cost-effective choice for homeowners and businesses looking for reliable solar power generation without the premium price tag. They are a practical option for a wide range of applications.

There are a variety of key technical differences between SunPower Performance solar panels and Conventional Panels, including the design and layout of the solar cells and the electric architecture—which combine to enhance the reliability, performance and aesthetics of Performance panels.

To go into a bit more technical detail, first, we laser cut each SunPower Performance cell into strips and layer them in a shingled configuration to create a ‘hypercell’. This shingled hypercell allows us to fit more active cell area into each panel, boosting power and efficiency. Second, Performance cells are connected with a flexible joint interconnection to offer multiple and redundant paths for energy flow. This allows us to remove the front contact conductive ribbons and solder bonds found in conventional cells that can block active cell area and deteriorate over time, leading to cell failures and power deficits. Finally, SunPower Performance panels feature a unique parallel circuit architecture that significantly limits power loss in shade and soiling. The result is a superior shingled panel constructed with commodity cells, outperforming conventional panels in efficiency, performance and reliability.

Some customers have achieved some clever customised DIY solutions for re-directing surplus power using Enphase APIs, however, Enphase does not currently offer products that re-direct surplus power.​

If the microinverter (or the associated PV module) should fail, only that PV module is offline. The remainder of the system continues to operate as normal – a key benefit of AC modules.​