Why You Should Choose High-Efficiency Solar Panels From Sunpower
Taking your home or business solar is a long-term investment for the future. Settling for less than the best when it comes to solar photovoltaic (PV) panels or battery storage systems can result in substantial losses of time, money, and environmental benefits over the years. To invest in the best, you’ll want to look at SunPower, the global leader in manufacturing high-performance solar energy systems. Ranked #1 in durability and module efficiency, SunPower’s solar technologies are your solution for long-lasting, reliable power generation. As a SunPower Certified Elite Dealer, Independent Power (IPS) is here to help you find a SunPower system to meet all your home and business solar energy needs.
WHAT IS SUNPOWER?
SunPower has been leading global solar innovation since 1985 when it was first incorporated in Silicon Valley by co-founder Dr. Richard Swanson with the help of a U.S. Department of Energy grant. Since then, SunPower has pioneered more than 750 solar technology patents and generated more than 18 million MWh of solar energy through an unmatched global portfolio that scales across residential, commercial, and utility solar energy markets.
The company’s success is driven in large part by its track record of unrivaled technological prowess and innovation, helping to power some of the most ground-breaking energy projects of the last 35 years. In 2010, SunPower set a world record by producing a full-scale solar cell with a sunlight-to-energy conversion efficiency rate of 24.2%, and in 2014, it manufactured its one-billionth solar cell. That same year, SunPower became the first and only solar company to receive a Cradle to Cradle Certified designation for the sustainable manufacturing of its E-Series and X-Series DC solar panels with non-hazardous and recyclable materials.
Today, under the leadership of CEO Tom Werner, SunPower remains the preferred choice for homeowners and business owners worldwide, with its Maxeon® solar cell technology providing 60-70% more energy production than other leading solar panels. The company has ranked as the #1 commercial solar provider in the U.S. by installed capacity for the last two years in a row, helping generate power and profit for international corporations, small businesses, and local governments alike. SunPower is also the top choice of American homebuilders, installing more than 40,000 home systems in 1,000 communities across the country since 2005.
INDEPENDENT POWER SYSTEMS – SUNPOWER ELITE DEALERS
SunPower’s global network of certified dealers helps connect homeowners and business owners with local solar installers and developers who provide the highest standards of quality and customer service. To date, the SunPower network has installed tens of thousands of home solar energy systems across the world, streamlining all aspects of residential solar panel installation from design and permitting to rebate processing and system maintenance.
As a certified SunPower Elite Dealer with Gold Tier pricing, IPS is honored to be recognized as a “top-notch” installer of SunPower residential and commercial energy systems. This means we’ve completed the SunPower Advanced+ Training while consistently achieving exceptionally high levels of customer satisfaction and exceeding stringent performance metrics in design, quality, and service—all while offering the most competitive pricing on these premium products to our residential and commercial customers. We’re proud to be partnered with the best name in solar energy innovation, reliability, and sustainability, and we hope that you’ll consider joining the SunPower revolution too.
THE SUNPOWER ADVANTAGE
There are many reasons why IPS recommends Sunpower products over all others, but they all boil down to one basic fact: simply put, SunPower is the best in the business. But don’t just take it from us—third-party government and regulatory agency tests frequently rank SunPower panels first in durability and efficiency. And with world records for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd most efficient solar panels, what’s not to like?
The secret to SunPower’s success is in its revolutionary Maxeon® cell technology, which uses a unique copper foundation that is nearly impervious to corrosion, to deliver unmatched strength and durability to solar panels. Combined with an ultra-pure silicon middle layer for optimal power conversion and a unique light-trapping surface, Maxeon® cells can produce 60-70% more energy in the same space over 25 years, and look good while doing it, too. Their sleek, grid-less design is complemented by built-in strain relief and thick connectors to mitigate the effects of temperature-related expanding and contracting. By eliminating 85% of the reasons that other conventional cells fail over time (such as corrosion and cell or interconnect breaks), SunPower solar panels allow you to continue saving time, money, and energy for decades to come. All SunPower products also enjoy an industry-best 25-year warranty, including panel performance, shipping, parts, and labor.
Maxeon® cell-powered solar panels are available for residential and commercial usage, coming with a full suite of services and configurations to help meet your specific solar energy needs. Homeowners looking to go solar can now also enjoy the benefits of the new SunPower Equinox® Storage System, the world’s first integrated, all-in-one home solar and energy battery storage system—just one more way in which SunPower is advancing the industry in energy innovation and sustainability.
The system syncs seamlessly with SunPower’s flagship Equinox® Home Solar System to help reduce peak-time electricity charges and provide back-up power to residents during grid outages while offering unmatched power in a sleek design that complements any architectural style. Built-in microinverters behind each panel help optimize power conversion at the source to minimize disruptions such as tree shade or fallen leaves and maximize solar energy production. At the same time, SunPower’s integrated EnergyLink® app makes it easy to track energy production, use, and savings over time. You can check out their handy new Design Studio here, to see what your home and savings would look like with an Equinox® Home Solar System.
SunPower solutions are additionally available for a wide range of commercial industries, including car dealerships, private businesses, schools, public organizations, government/military, and agriculture. The precision-engineered Helix® Commercial Solar System is built to be quickly installed on rooftops, carports, and the ground in a variety of easily scalable configurations that are trusted the world over by international name brands like Toyota, Johnson & Johnson, Macy’s, Sony Pictures, Gap, Inc., and Target, to name a few. The SunPower Helix® can now also be integrated with the Helix® Storage System, which comes with advanced analytics software, an intelligent control system, and a portfolio of support services to maximize savings and product performance by reducing energy costs and maintenance down-time.
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT: WELD COUNTY GARAGE BUICK GMC
When a 110-year old auto dealership in Greeley, Colorado, started feeling the strain of operational costs and expensive demand charges from their utility, the leadership of Weld County Garage Buick GMC started looking at commercial solar solutions to help improve their bottom line. In late 2018, Weld County Garage partnered with Independent Power to install a 438.9 kW solar power system on the roof of one of their main facilities. Together, the 1,291 SunPower® Performance Series 340 W, high-efficiency modules are expected to generate an annual production of 650,295 kWh and offset approximately 1,013,811 lbs of CO2 each year. By offsetting a sizeable portion of their energy costs with on-site solar generation, Weld County Garage is saving nearly $2 million annually and hedging against future utility rate hikes. Learn more about Weld County Garage’s commercial solar journey.
POWERING THE FUTURE
SunPower isn’t just helping home and business owners achieve energy independence; its solar technologies have also been powering global innovation and exploration for years. The 1990s and 2000s, in particular, were significant decades for SunPower, starting off with a bang in 1993 when a SunPower solar cell-powered Honda car sped to victory in the annual 1,800-mile World Solar Challenge (now called the Bridgestone Solar Challenge) across the Australian Outback. Their entry beat the competition by one full day, crushing the previous record set by General Motors in 1987. In 1997, SunPower’s high-efficiency solar cells also helped power NASA’s unmanned, remotely piloted Pathfinder to a record-breaking altitude of 80,201 feet—an achievement that was closely followed by the NASA Helios project, which used SunPower’s world-record efficiency A-300 solar cells to reach another record altitude of 96,863 feet.
More recently, SunPower has set several world records in solar cell energy efficiency and helped pioneer new directions in solar-powered travel. That journey started in 2012 when the MS Turanor PlanetSolar catamaran—the world’s largest solar boat, powered entirely by SunPower solar cells—became the first boat to circle the globe using only solar energy, in the process setting a world record in 2010 (and again in 2013) for its trans-Atlantic solar crossings. In 2013, SunPower solar cells took flight with the Solar Impulse, the first solar-powered airplane to fly successfully across the contiguous U.S. Three years later, in 2016, the Solar Impulse 2 became the first solar airplane to fly around the world.
SunPower’s launch of the world’s first integrated home solar and battery energy storage system with the Equinox® Storage System in September 2019 is only the most recent example of its efforts to build out community energy resiliency. Since 2004, the company has been leading the industry in the design, construction, management, and distribution of high-performance solar power plants worldwide. Those efforts have resulted in the 579-megawatt Solar Stars Project in Kern and Los Angeles counties in California, where SunPower Oasis technology helps support the world’s largest operating solar PV power plant, delivering emission-free energy to PG&E utilities for roughly 255,000 local homes. Having successfully implemented a number of Community Solar projects in the state of New York, SunPower is also looking to expand its community projects to other states, to help people who live in apartments, condos, or other residences go solar who otherwise can’t, and save up to 10% on their energy bills.
CHOOSING SUNPOWER WITH IPS
SunPower’s solar energy systems don’t just do good work; they do good work well. Equally committed to solar energy innovation and industry sustainability, SunPower is powering the kind of future that we at IPS also envision. As a SunPower Certified Elite Dealer, we invite you to be part of that future, too. Between SunPower’s unmatched product performance and durability ratings, and our exceptional standards of service and design, we are here to give you the peace of mind you need to start planning toward your clean energy future. Contact one of our Solar Specialists to learn more about a SunPower solution for your residential or commercial energy needs.
