SunPower
On August 5, 2024, SunPower announced it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and agreed to sell some of its business to another residential solar installer, Complete Solaria. SunPower is no longer accepting new customers; its partners will take on residential solar installations.
SunPower at a glance
In April 2024, SunPower announced that it would discontinue its residential solar installations. Because of this news, we recommend one of our other best solar installation companies.
Fast facts
- As of April 2024, SunPower no longer accepts residential solar customers.
- Blue Raven and SunPower-certified dealers will handle residential solar installations.
- SunPower will continue to honor its warranty for current customers and support them via solar panel maintenance.
- SunPower is an accredited business with an A+ rating through the Better Business Bureau (BBB)
What we like
Although SunPower is no longer accepting new solar customers, they will continue to support its current customer base and will honor its Complete Confidence warranty.
What we don’t like
As of July 2024, SunPower has announced that it will halt new shipments and project installations. It will no longer support new leases, PPA sales or new project installations for these financing options.
In August, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and announced it would begin to liquidate its assets.
SunPower pros and cons
SunPower used Maxeon solar panels, a top-performing, high-efficiency solar panel with widespread availability, a solid 25-year comprehensive warranty and an app that monitors your energy usage and production for the ultimate energy management.
Disadvantages include limited product availability because of the company’s rigorous in-house values, higher costs and varying customer reviews, which state that it’s difficult to resolve solar panel issues.
Pros
- Plans to honor warranty coverage despite no longer installing new solar systems
- Will continue to support current solar customers
- 25-year comprehensive warranty
Cons
- Not taking new customers
- No longer manufactures its own panels
- Stock price has decreased by 93% in the past year, which could indicate trouble for the company
What services did SunPower offer?
SunPower sold its products, called SunPower Equinox, which included solar panels and built-in microinverters.
The company also sold the SunVault storage system to accompany the SunPower Equinox system. SunVault was the company’s solar battery storage. Enphase battery systems were another option SunPower offered.
SunPower services
|
|
Offered?
|
|---|---|
| Solar panels | SunPower Equinox |
| Solar shingles | No |
| Microinverter | SunPower Equinox |
| String inverter | No |
| Solar battery | Enphase Battery System, SunPower’s SunVault |
| Full cash | Yes |
| In-house loan | Yes |
| Lease | Yes |
| Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) | Yes |
| Other financing | No |
| Free energy consultation | Yes |
| Inspection scheduling assistance | No |
| Permitting assistance | No |
| Roof repair | No |
| Power production guarantee | 25 years |
| Workmanship warranty | 25 years |
| Micro inverter warranty | 25 years |
SunPower vs. competitors
Because it no longer installs residential solar panels, we cannot recommend SunPower for your solar project. The CNN Underscored team has spent hours researching the best solar companies in the industry and has identified the top six solar installers for homeowners.
For unbeatable solar prices and top-of-the-line solar equipment, we recommend Sunnova. Not only did this provider take the No. 1 spot on our list, but its professional solar monitoring ensures you get the most out of your solar system. If top-tier customer service is your priority, then you can’t do much better than Blue Raven Solar. This solar installer carries products from Tesla, REC, CertainTeed and Qcells, all well-known names in the solar panel industry.
SunPower competitor comparison
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|
Our score (out of 5 stars)
|
|---|---|
| SunPower | N/A |
| Sunnova | 4.7 |
| Blue Raven Solar | 4.1 |
| Green Home Systems | 4.1 |
| Tesla Solar | 4.1 |
| Momentum Solar | 3.8 |
| NRG Clean Power | 3.8 |
| Lumio | 3.6 |
|
|
No. of states available
|
|---|---|
| SunPower | N/A |
| Sunnova | 50 |
| Blue Raven Solar | 20 |
| Green Home Systems | 21 |
| Tesla Solar | 50 |
| Momentum Solar | 12 |
| NRG Clean Power | 2 |
| Lumio | 14 |
|
|
Years in business
|
|---|---|
| SunPower | 40 |
| Sunnova | 12 |
| Blue Raven Solar | 10 |
| Green Home Systems | 15 |
| Tesla Solar | 9 |
| Momentum Solar | 15 |
| NRG Clean Power | 7 |
| Lumio | 3 |
Methodology
The CNN Underscored team analyzed 18 solar panel companies based on several factors. Such factors include the equipment they offer, their payment options, trustworthiness, installation, service options, warranties, nationwide availability, customer reviews and years of experience. We scored each company using these criteria to help calculate our impartial rating.
- 18 companies reviewed
- 26 data points analyzed
- 14 features we considered
- 133 primary data sources used