Residential installation company SunPower has signed a supply agreement with Maxeon to use the company’s solar panels on projects through 2025.
“This supply agreement solidifies our long-term relationship with Maxeon and further secures the supply of premium panels for our expanding customer base,” said Peter Faricy, SunPower CEO. “Demand for solar continues to increase alongside the desire for clean, affordable and reliable energy, and SunPower is well positioned to capture this growth with trusted products and unmatched customer experience.”
Under the new supply agreement, Maxeon expects to sell additional volumes of its Maxeon 6 panels (marketed in the U.S. and Canada under the SunPower brand as M-Series) to SunPower on an exclusive basis. SunPower will also have the right to negotiate supply of future interdigitated back contact (IBC) next generation technology developed by Maxeon. Maxeon was also exploring the opportunity to sell its solar panels to additional U.S. installation firms, but Roth Capital is reporting that this new supply agreement with SunPower prevents any additional sales partners.
“We are pleased to extend our relationship with SunPower, and our renewed supply agreement continues the exclusive supply of our industry leading Maxeon 6 panels through SunPower’s very well-established channel into the residential markets across the U.S. and Canada. The high retail power prices seen in 2022, which look likely to continue into 2023, have created an environment where more and more consumers are realizing the benefits of top-quality rooftop solar. Maxeon’s innovative panels are well-equipped to deliver these advantages to homeowners across the U.S., where they have been the gold standard for almost 20 years. We look forward to continuing to work with SunPower to advance the energy transition in the U.S.,” said Mark Babcock, Maxeon interim CEO.
News item from SunPower
The Maxeon 6 are the “big boys” closer to commercial installations than residential installations. The Maxeon 3 might be a better all around choice for residential installations. That 40 year warranty low first year of PID and low yearly degradation are at the top of the solar PV specification lists.
Remember Violet Power that was going revolutionize solar PV manufacturing at the old REC site in Washington. The claim was the Violet Power panel design was going to be IBC using high efficiency solar PV cells with a (50) year warranty. Violet Power has had a falling out with REC and it doesn’t seem to be a viable retail product at this point. But, Maxeon is a viable solar PV product using premium solar PV cells, IBC backplane connections and are on the market now. It seems like the Maxeon 3 is right around $1/watt per panel and maybe less in pallet quantities.