Solar Carport Warranty — Full UK Coverage Terms
A solar carport is a 25-year capital asset. We back our installs with five layered warranties covering panels, inverters, structure, electrical workmanship, and (optionally) 25-year O&M performance guarantees.
The Five Warranty Layers
1. Tier-1 panel performance warranty — 25 years
Every panel we install carries a 25-year linear performance warranty from the Tier-1 manufacturer (Trina Solar, Longi, JA Solar, JinkoSolar, REC, Canadian Solar). The warranty guarantees: 98% of nameplate output at year 1, 92% at year 12, and 84.8% at year 25. Glass-glass bifacial panels carry the strongest warranties; glass-back panels typically guarantee 90% at year 25.
Linear performance warranties are different from "product warranties". Product warranties cover manufacturing defects (typically 12-15 years). Performance warranties cover output degradation curves. Both apply concurrently. If a panel underperforms the linear curve, the manufacturer replaces or compensates.
2. Inverter warranty — 10 years (extendable to 25)
Our preferred inverter brands (SMA Sunny Tripower, SolarEdge SE100K, Sungrow SG110CX, Huawei SUN2000) all ship with a 10-year standard manufacturer warranty. SMA and SolarEdge both offer warranty extensions to 25 years for ~5-10% of inverter cost — we recommend taking these on projects where the carport is intended as a 25-year asset.
Why inverters fail before panels: they contain electronics with shorter design lives (~12-15 years). A single replacement at year 10-12 is normal lifecycle behaviour. Modern microinverters (Enphase) and optimisers (SolarEdge P-Series) carry 25-year warranties as standard.
3. Steel carport structure warranty — 25 years
Our carport structures are CE-marked and supplied with a 25-year structural integrity warranty. The warranty covers: structural failure under specified wind/snow loading (Eurocode 1); galvanised zinc coating corrosion (BS EN 1461); powder coating durability (BS 3900); and steel certification (EN 10219:2006).
4. Workmanship warranty — 2 years standard, extendable to 10
Our installation workmanship is covered by a 2-year standard workmanship warranty backed by our public liability and professional indemnity insurance. Most clients elect to extend to 10 years via insurance-backed extended warranty at ~£300-£500 per kWp of system size. The extended warranty covers DC and AC cabling, mounting, weatherproofing, commissioning, and protection relay configuration.
5. Optional 25-year O&M performance guarantee
Our optional 25-year O&M wrap (£8-£12/kWp/yr) includes a performance guarantee: if the carport generates less than 95% of forecast in any year (after weather adjustment), we credit the difference at agreed kWh value. This converts a "buy and hope" warranty model into "buy and we're accountable for the output".
What's covered vs not
| Issue | Covered? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Panel output below linear curve | ✅ | Tier-1 25-year performance warranty |
| Inverter electronics failure (years 1-10) | ✅ | Standard manufacturer warranty |
| Inverter failure (years 11-25) | If extended | Optional 25-year extension |
| Carport structure corrosion / failure | ✅ | 25-year structural warranty |
| Cabling, mounting, weatherproofing defects | ✅ | 2-yr standard / 10-yr extended workmanship |
| Storm damage (panels) | Insurance | Your commercial property insurance |
| Vandalism | Insurance | Your commercial property insurance |
| Theft (panels, copper) | Insurance | Your commercial property insurance |
| Lightning strike | Mixed | Surge protection covered; collateral damage = insurance |
| Vehicle impact on column | Your insurer | Commercial property + vehicle owner insurance |
| Underperformance from soiling / shading | If O&M | Cleaning + performance guarantee under O&M wrap |
How warranty claims work
If a panel or inverter fails, contact us — not the manufacturer. We manage the warranty claim on your behalf:
- Report fault via our 24-hour O&M portal (under wrap contract) or email/phone
- Our engineer assesses on-site within 5 working days (under wrap) or 10 days (out of wrap)
- If panel/inverter warranty claim is valid, we file with the manufacturer
- Replacement unit shipped (Tier-1 typically 4-12 weeks)
- We install replacement at no charge (under wrap) or labour cost (out of wrap)
Insurance you should also carry
A solar carport is plant + structure. Your commercial property insurer needs to add it to your policy — usually a small premium adjustment (0.1-0.2% of insured value per year). Provide your insurer with: our commissioning certificate, MCS cert, structural drawings, and the replacement value (typically £950-£1,300/kWp).
Public liability — already covered under your commercial policy. Most insurers ask for evidence of vehicle column impact protection (we install BS 6180 compliant impact-resistant kerb or bollard at every column base).
Want our 25-year O&M wrap quote?
£8-£12/kWp/yr depending on system size. Includes performance guarantee.