Is REC a good solar panel?

Established in 1996 in Norway, REC is an international solar panel manufacturer with a brand that’s synonymous with quality, innovation, and outstanding reliability. 27 years on, the company remains true to its Norwegian roots with its head office still in Norway and a factories in Norway and Singapore.

What sets REC apart from other manufacturers?

Apart from the reliability of the products, REC is one of the most socially responsible solar energy companies out there. REC has consciously made the decision to base its manufacturing in Singapore to meet – and beat – international environmental and ethical standards.

Ethical supply chain

A commitment to human rights and ethical working conditions informs every aspect of RECs supply chain and manufacturing process. The company carefully vets its upstream suppliers and is fully signed up to the principles of the Modern Slavery Act 2018.  In addition, senior company representatives sit on the Clean Energy Council and Smart Energy Council working groups to champion for an ethical and responsible supply chain.

One of the world’s first lead-free panels

Virtually all solar panels contain lead which is toxic and causes huge problems when it comes to recycling. REC is one of the first manufacturers to be certified for making lead-free solar panels under the European RoHS Directive (“Restriction of Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical Equipment”).

Are REC panels reliable?

With more than a decade of experience in the solar industry, our team have no hesitation in recommending REC panels, and would go as far to have them installed on their own rooftops. In fact, many of our own electricians do have them on their homes!

Here are a few reasons why we use REC in our solar installations:

1. More power with less panels: REC panels generate more power from less space, delivering up to 16 per cent more power than standard panels.  With more power from each panel, installation costs are reduced as the installers don’t need to spend as long on your roof and don’t need as many parts.

2. Works in partial shade:  With standard panels, even a tiny bit of shading on one panel will reduce the power output from that panel to around zero – and worse, potentially cut the power output of the entire row of panels.  But thanks to REC’s split cell technology, when part of a panel is shaded, the rest of the panel will keep producing power.  And, best of all, other panels in the row won’t be affected. REC’s award winning Alpha Pure-R panel takes this technology even further with its four-part bypass diodes, ensuring further improved performance under shady conditions.

3. Lowest degradation rates:  REC solar panels have amongst the lowest degradation rates in the industry. REC panels are warrantied to produce at least 92 per cent of their nameplate power in year 25.

4. Industry-leading low claims rate: Out of 4 million panels manufactured by REC each year, just 400 might come back as product claims.

5. Higher efficiency: When it comes to panel stats, the efficiency stat is the one to check first.  That’s because it tells you what percentage of the sun’s rays hitting the panel are converted to electricity.  With REC, you get up to 22.3% efficiency compared to the industry standard 19%.

6. Durability:  With two support bars on the back of each solar panel, REC solar panels are almost twice as strong as standard panels and can withstand extreme wind (and snow if you’re in the southern states) loads of up to 7,000 Pascal.

7. Corrosion-resistant: REC solar panels also have the highest salt mist anti-corrosion certification level possible (IEC 61701) making them an ideal choice for solar installations near the coast.