Panasonic and Sanyo have agreed to resolve claims their solar panels can delaminate with a class action lawsuit settlement. Consumers who bought and installed Sanyo solar panels (model series HIP-xxxBA2, BA3, and BA5) for residential use or residential property with any of these solar panels installed on it can benefit from the settlement.
Settlement Website: SanyoSolarClaims.com
Objection Deadline: 5/28/2021
Exclusion Deadline:: 5/28/2021
Claim Form: http://www.sanyosolarclaims.com/home/440/DocumentHandler?docPath=/Documents/Sanyo_Claim_Form.pdf
Deadline For Submitting Claim Form: 12/31/2029 or 20 years after the original purchase date — whichever is earlier.
Final Hearing Date: 07/8/2021
Potential Claim Amount: Variable
Proof Of Purchase: As part of this claim, you are required to provide proof of ownership for each Sanyo solar module for which you are seeking a settlement remedy, in the form of EITHER (A) or (B) below:
- Evidence of the purchase date, the original purchase price, and a copy of the contract for the installation of the Sanyo solar module that includes the model number of that module
OR, if you are unable to provide this evidence
- Photos of the location of the subject Sanyo solar modules (including photos of the full solar panel array on which the subject panels are installed, if they are installed on an array) and the full label affixed to the back of at least one module in that array that belongs to Sanyo solar module model series HIP-xxxBA2, BA3 or BA5, showing the manufacturer name, model number, date of manufacture and the module’s serial number (NOTE: A photo of a label affixed to the backside of a module that does not include all three of these elements does not satisfy these requirements.)
If you cannot supply the original purchase date of the Sanyo solar module, the original purchase date will be treated as exactly three months after the date of manufacture shown on the full-back label of the module.
In addition to the above, you must provide at least one photo of the entire Sanyo solar array and one photo of each Sanyo solar module for which you are seeking a settlement remedy. The photographs of individual modules must be of sufficient size and quality to clearly show the full module and any alleged delamination, bubbling, and/or other damage or claimed defect. The photos must also include either a U.S. quarter coin or a ruler with millimeter markings placed near the alleged delamination for size reference. Photos must be labeled so it is clear which module from the list above is shown in each photo.
If your Sanyo solar modules are no longer installed on an array, you are also required to provide photos showing the location and conditions in which each panel is stored.
CSanyo is a popular manufacturer of solar panels meant for both business and residential properties. Panasonic bought Sanyo’s line of solar panels and is presently a distributor of these products. The plaintiffs in the Sanyo class action lawsuit contend the company’s solar panels are defective. The covered models can “delaminate” over time causing the laminated part of the solar panels to separate. Delamination has been linked with poor performance in solar panels and a decrease in power generation in the long run. The plaintiffs have also claimed that the solar panel delamination can lead to serious and undisputed safety risks including the risk of house fires.
Visible delamination must be there in the solar panels for being eligible for payment under the settlement. This brings one or more adjacent sections of circular delamination under its purview where each section is at least 25 mm or more and wasn’t caused by external damage. The terms of this settlement don’t cover dot or liner delamination. Both Sanyo and Panasonic were aware of this issue but failed to properly apply their limited 20-year power warranty to the delaminated solar panels. As per the plaintiffs, the companies even refused to inspect the delaminated solar panels so that they can deny all warranty claims. This caused the consumers to bear out-of-pocket expenses for refunding, repairing, or replacing the delaminated solar panels after power output fell below the warranty threshold.
Both Sanyo and Panasonic have agreed to honor the terms of the class action lawsuit settlement despite not admitting any wrongdoing. As per the settlement terms, class members are eligible for either a replacement for their delaminated solar panels or a cash payment. All payments made from the settlement will be equivalent to the original purchase price of the solar panels after charging depreciation. For calculating the depreciation costs, various factors will be considered like whether time has passed, how much time has passed, and if any time is left on the panel’s power warranty. Thus, if any class member had bought a solar panel for $600 10 years ago, they would receive a settlement payment worth half that cost – or $300. The settlement might provide replacement panels in a different size, shape, color, model, manufacturer, or power level compared to the original Sanyo solar panels bought by the class members. However, all replacement panels offered to class members under the settlement will generate the required power level under Sanyo’s 20-year power warranty.
