SunPower files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, plans to sell off assets. What does this mean for me?

As you have probably now heard, the rooftop solar installer and manufacturer of solar panels, SunPower Corporation, founded in 1985, has filed for bankruptcy. SunPower had a long reputation for producing the best solar panels in the industry, though had been struggling for months in the face of high interest rates and other industry concerns.

What does the SunPower bankruptcy news mean to me?

For most clients who have SunPower systems, we don’t expect any immediate changes. Solar systems largely produce solar power independent of any manufacturer’s status in the market or their financial strength. When the sun comes out and shines on the solar panels, they generate power and send that power to your home, storage batteries and the grid, regardless of solar company industry headwinds.

Frequently asked questions:

Q: Will we need to find a new solar company to make our monthly payment?

A: If you have an actively serviced lease system, power purchase agreement or loan with SunPower, SunPower will likely need to find another financier to take over the servicing of your lease, loan or PPA. According to SunPower, they are actively working on this and will have more information about this in the near future.

Q: Which company is now my solar panel provider now that SunPower filed for Chapter 11?

A: Most systems come with workmanship warranties from the solar installer and manufacturer warranties for equipment from the manufacturer. For questions on warranties and who could help in the event something happened, we recommend contacting your solar installer. Here at Cosmic Solar and Roofing, you can always email service@cosmicsolar.com with any warranty questions. In September 2024, SunPower announced they would be selling their leased systems to another solar provider who would help facilitate the transition in order to service these leases and solar systems in the field. If you have a leased system through SunPower, you should receive an email or letter in the mail with steps
 
Q: Will the power our solar panels produce continue to provide electricity to our home or will there be a disruption in service?

A: SunPower’s bankruptcy should not have any immediate effects on your solar system operation. Solar panels will continue to produce power as the sun comes out every day and, even though SunPower often sent firmware updates to its system components, we expect the solar systems in the field to continue to produce power as they have since they were installed.
 
Q: Who do I contact if my panels need to be serviced or repaired?

A: As always, Cosmic Solar and Roofing is here to help with any solar related servicing and repair. We have a full scale service department, led by Service Manager, Khiry Fitzgerald, and he may be reached at service@cosmicsolar.com or phone/text at (442) 217-9990.

Q: Long term, if SunPower is not around, who will service my product warranty?

A: It’s a very good question and we are working as best we can with SunPower to answer these and others. The good news is SunPower solar panels were made with the best technology we’ve found and here at Cosmic Solar and Roofing, the failure rate with SunPower solar panels is virtually zero, meaning we have installed many tens of thousands of solar panels without a single failure. Other products like monitoring components, inverters, etc. we’re still learning more about. We’ll strive to learn more but you’re always free to call us here at (760) 749-1111 with any questions or concerns you may have about SunPower or your installed solar system.

The silver lining, as we see it, is that although SunPower had irreconcilable headwinds as a company and had a troubled 2024, the California solar industry’s health is still reasonably strong and companies like Cosmic Solar and Roofing will be here to help guide you through with questions with new industry events occur. We’re here for you! If you need us, please feel free to contact us at (760) 749-1111 or at cosmicsolar.com. We’re here to help!

In September 2024, Maxeon Solar Technologies stated they will be providing a warranty for SunPower's solar panels and Enphase Energy declared they would cover warranties for all SunPower solar panels equipped with Enphase microinverters. These are positive warranty advancements and manufacturers involved in the production of SunPower solar panels have begun to offer warranties that will help SunPower clients -- and Cosmic Solar and Roofing's Service Department is here to help facilitate this process for Cosmic Solar clients.

Q: Will my SunPower monitoring system still work now that SunPower declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy?

On September 20th, 2024, SunPower sent out an email to SunPower customers saying it would not provide support for its monitoring platform any longer, which is unfortunate, but most of the monitoring systems continue to work and show solar production data. If you are a Cosmic Solar and Roofing customer and have an issue with your monitoring system at your home, please give us our Service Department a call/text at 442-217-9990 or send an email to service@cosmicsolar.com and we'll be happy to work with you to find another solution or monitoring platform to help show your solar system is still active and producing power. As of now, all SunPower systems we have monitored, though, continue to work without issue.