[0xbadcafebee]

Most good solar panels have a 12-15 year warranty on the panel, and a 25-30 year warranty on performance.

But this is a warranty, and you have many panels. If they're all going to fail, they will fail sooner. If one fails or breaks eventually, even if it's not under warranty, replacing the panel is dirt cheap. Of course you need to replace it with an identical panel, so it makes more sense to buy extra panels and just assume some will die. But even if you paid for a replacement, that's already just $100-$200, and it'll probably be cheaper in the future.

So the warranty isn't really that important long-term. They're more important for the short term, and a Tier 1 solar provider's so reliable that you don't really need it anyway.

[trollbridge]

The cost to replace a panel is not “dirt cheap” and requires significant skill.

I could say that “rebuilding a car engine is dirt cheap” assuming I can do it myself.

[0xbadcafebee]

Skill? If you can use a screwdriver, and lift 50lbs, you can do it.

1) Throw the "DC Disconnect" switch to de-power the panels. 2) Unscrew old panel from rails. 3) Disconnect MC4 connectors (with fingers). 4) Remove old panel and install new panel. 5) Connect MC4 connectors. 6) Screw panel into rails. 8) Throw "DC Disconnect" lever to re-power panels.

There's also a step 7 where the panel needs to be connected to the ground of the other panels, but with modern systems there's these metal clips that just clip onto the edges of adjacent panels to make the ground. Your system may be different but the ground is a pretty simple connection of metal to metal.

Here's a YouTube short showing it: https://youtube.com/shorts/fpyXHsZCb6M?si=JHoYfff2yz3ZsA9P