Tier-one PV manufacturer and PVEP (Photovoltaics Energy Provider) SunPower is to launch its ‘X-Series’ modules using its next-generation ‘Maxeon’ solar cells with 21.2% nameplate module efficiency and 345W performance configuration in Japan.
The X-Series modules will be available in Japan in 2016, with cells produced at its new Fab 4 facility in the Philippines. However, SunPower has reported delays in ramping the facility and lowered expected nameplate production capacity of the plant in 2015 from 40MW to 30MW.
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Fab 4 was expected to be operational by mid-2015. However the company now expects the fab to be operational later this year. Output in 2016 is expected to be 225MW, according to the company.
“Elegant, all-black solar panels from SunPower Corporation offer superior aesthetics, and the high efficiency of our panels is ideal for customers with limited roof space,” said Howard Wenger, SunPower Corporation president, business units. “Building owners may achieve faster return on investment by generating more power per square meter on the roof, and they can count on the long-term reliability of solar panels by SunPower Corporation.”
SunPower reiterated that NREL had verified the world-record efficiency of the X-Series modules and noted that the modules had already been certified by the Japan Electrical Safety and Environment Technology Laboratories (JET) for the Japanese domestic rooftop market.
The X-Series modules were said to be backed by the industry's first combined 25-year product and power warranty.