[RE-wrenches] Astopower 120 failure

2010-06-08 Thread Carl Hansen
I have a warrantee issue with an Astropower 120, from what I've read it 
seems GE bought them out. Does anyone have contact info at hand for GE ?
 The panel is showing two burn marks on the backing at the point of two 
adjacent solder joints on one cell.


Carl,
HansenSun Electric 


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Re: [RE-wrenches] Astopower 120 failure

2010-06-08 Thread Allan Sindelar




Carl,
There was a thread here about this when GE first bought out the assets
of Astropower. As I recall, GE didn't take on the liabilities and
provides no warranty coverage on AP120s. 

I would hope to hear that I'm wrong about this, as we installed some
AP120s too, but I haven't seen anything on this list about warranties.










Allan Sindelar
Allan@positiveenergysolar.com
NABCEP Certified Photovoltaic Installer
EE98J Journeyman Electrician
Positive Energy, Inc.
3201 Calle Marie
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87507
505 424-1112
www.positiveenergysolar.com



On 6/8/2010 9:13 AM, Carl Hansen wrote:
I have a warrantee issue with an Astropower 120, from what
I've read it seems GE bought them out. Does anyone have contact info at
hand for GE ?
  
The panel is showing two burn marks on the backing at the point of two
adjacent solder joints on one cell.
  
  
Carl,
  
HansenSun Electric 
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Re: [RE-wrenches] Astopower 120 failure

2010-06-08 Thread David Brearley
Carl,

Here's an excerpt from a news release that went out in late-December:

Motech Industries Inc. (6244. TW) has signed an agreement to acquire GE
Energy¹s (NYSE: GE) Delaware solar module assembly operation. The plant,
which is located in Newark, Delaware assembles crystalline silicon based
photovoltaic modules and currently employs 75 people.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

With the acquisition, Motech will be granted the rights to use GE Energy¹s
module trademark for two years. In addition, Motech will assume the
responsibility to provide warranty services to GE¹s existing module clients.

Motech has been a supplier of solar cells to GE Energy for the past four
years.

David Brearley, Senior Technical Editor
SolarPro magazine 
NABCEP Certified PV Installer 


On 6/8/10 10:13 AM, Carl Hansen solar...@cybermesa.com wrote:

 I have a warrantee issue with an Astropower 120, from what I've read it
 seems GE bought them out. Does anyone have contact info at hand for GE ?
   The panel is showing two burn marks on the backing at the point of two
 adjacent solder joints on one cell.
 
 Carl,
 HansenSun Electric
 
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Re: [RE-wrenches] Astopower 120 failure

2010-06-08 Thread Bill Brooks
Carl and David,

Of course this means nothing related to the AstroPower warranty. The lawyers
at GE Energy were very careful to wait until AstroPower was officially dead
before they bought the Equipment to make modules from them. There is no
warranty--even though they are materially identical to the early GE product.
In the U.S. we call that business.

Bill.


-Original Message-
From: re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org
[mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of David
Brearley
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2010 8:32 AM
To: RE-wrenches
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Astopower 120 failure

Carl,

Here's an excerpt from a news release that went out in late-December:

Motech Industries Inc. (6244. TW) has signed an agreement to acquire GE
Energy¹s (NYSE: GE) Delaware solar module assembly operation. The plant,
which is located in Newark, Delaware assembles crystalline silicon based
photovoltaic modules and currently employs 75 people.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

With the acquisition, Motech will be granted the rights to use GE Energy¹s
module trademark for two years. In addition, Motech will assume the
responsibility to provide warranty services to GE¹s existing module clients.

Motech has been a supplier of solar cells to GE Energy for the past four
years.

David Brearley, Senior Technical Editor
SolarPro magazine 
NABCEP Certified PV Installer 


On 6/8/10 10:13 AM, Carl Hansen solar...@cybermesa.com wrote:

 I have a warrantee issue with an Astropower 120, from what I've read it
 seems GE bought them out. Does anyone have contact info at hand for GE ?
   The panel is showing two burn marks on the backing at the point of two
 adjacent solder joints on one cell.
 
 Carl,
 HansenSun Electric
 
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Re: [RE-wrenches] Astopower 120 failure

2010-06-08 Thread James A. Hartley
Has anyone been chronicling the curious morphological progressions of PV 
module manufacturers over the years?  I'd be curious to know how that has 
flowed, and maybe why precisely.  From my current distant remove from all 
this action what I see is endless revolving doors or brand new doors looking 
for a convenient passing hole.  Is that how all the bucks get recycled for a 
spell and then the buckeroos go on to the next best opportunity elsewhere? 
I think there's a fitting name for that inclination but I conveniently 
forget it.




- Original Message - 
From: Bill Brooks billbroo...@yahoo.com

To: 'RE-wrenches' re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2010 10:46 AM
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Astopower 120 failure


Carl and David,

Of course this means nothing related to the AstroPower warranty. The lawyers
at GE Energy were very careful to wait until AstroPower was officially dead
before they bought the Equipment to make modules from them. There is no
warranty--even though they are materially identical to the early GE product.
In the U.S. we call that business.

Bill.


-Original Message-
From: re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org
[mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of David
Brearley
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2010 8:32 AM
To: RE-wrenches
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Astopower 120 failure

Carl,

Here's an excerpt from a news release that went out in late-December:

Motech Industries Inc. (6244. TW) has signed an agreement to acquire GE
Energy¹s (NYSE: GE) Delaware solar module assembly operation. The plant,
which is located in Newark, Delaware assembles crystalline silicon based
photovoltaic modules and currently employs 75 people.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

With the acquisition, Motech will be granted the rights to use GE Energy¹s
module trademark for two years. In addition, Motech will assume the
responsibility to provide warranty services to GE¹s existing module clients.

Motech has been a supplier of solar cells to GE Energy for the past four
years.

David Brearley, Senior Technical Editor
SolarPro magazine
NABCEP Certified PV Installer 


On 6/8/10 10:13 AM, Carl Hansen solar...@cybermesa.com wrote:


I have a warrantee issue with an Astropower 120, from what I've read it
seems GE bought them out. Does anyone have contact info at hand for GE ?
  The panel is showing two burn marks on the backing at the point of two
adjacent solder joints on one cell.

Carl,
HansenSun Electric

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Re: [RE-wrenches] Astopower 120 failure

2010-06-08 Thread Bill Loesch

Fellow Wrenches,

Is there any variation in the business model of _any_ other takeover of
now defunct module manufacturers? e.g.. Siemens - Shell - SolarWorld?

I was recently at one of the solar industries current profit centers, dba
training, which featured, among others, ET Solar (single and multicrystal
manufacturer based in China). The subject of warranty came up and the
presenter stated that their quality and power output warranty was backed up
with warranty insurance such that if ET would not be around in ten days or
ten/twenty years the insurance would still be available. Comments?

Thanks,

Bill Loesch
Solar 1 - Saint Louis Solar


- Original Message - 
From: Bill Brooks billbroo...@yahoo.com
To: 'RE-wrenches' re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2010 10:46 AM
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Astopower 120 failure


Carl and David,

Of course this means nothing related to the AstroPower warranty. The lawyers
at GE Energy were very careful to wait until AstroPower was officially dead
before they bought the Equipment to make modules from them. There is no
warranty--even though they are materially identical to the early GE product.
In the U.S. we call that business.

Bill.


-Original Message-
From: re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org
[mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of David
Brearley
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2010 8:32 AM
To: RE-wrenches
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Astopower 120 failure

Carl,

Here's an excerpt from a news release that went out in late-December:

Motech Industries Inc. (6244. TW) has signed an agreement to acquire GE
Energy¹s (NYSE: GE) Delaware solar module assembly operation. The plant,
which is located in Newark, Delaware assembles crystalline silicon based
photovoltaic modules and currently employs 75 people.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

With the acquisition, Motech will be granted the rights to use GE Energy¹s
module trademark for two years. In addition, Motech will assume the
responsibility to provide warranty services to GE¹s existing module clients.

Motech has been a supplier of solar cells to GE Energy for the past four
years.

David Brearley, Senior Technical Editor
SolarPro magazine
NABCEP Certified PV Installer 


On 6/8/10 10:13 AM, Carl Hansen solar...@cybermesa.com wrote:

 I have a warrantee issue with an Astropower 120, from what I've read it
 seems GE bought them out. Does anyone have contact info at hand for GE ?
   The panel is showing two burn marks on the backing at the point of two
 adjacent solder joints on one cell.

 Carl,
 HansenSun Electric

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 www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm

 Check out participant bios:
 www.members.re-wrenches.org








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Re: [RE-wrenches] Astopower 120 failure ERRATA

2010-06-08 Thread Bill Loesch

Fellow Wrenches,

I'm still interested if _any_ takeover manufacturer has ever supported the
previous warranty.

In regards to the local ET Solar presentation, and a follow up phone call to
their California location, I have misstated that there is _any_ warranty
once ET goes bust. (Evidently, that piece of training was too technical for
me to get it right the first time.)

Apologies,

Bill Loesch
Solar 1 - Saint Louis Solar


- Original Message - 
From: Bill Loesch solar1onl...@charter.net
To: RE-wrenches re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2010 2:56 PM
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Astopower 120 failure



Fellow Wrenches,

Is there any variation in the business model of _any_ other takeover of
now defunct module manufacturers? e.g.. Siemens - Shell - SolarWorld?

I was recently at one of the solar industries current profit centers, dba
training, which featured, among others, ET Solar (single and multicrystal
manufacturer based in China). The subject of warranty came up and the
presenter stated that their quality and power output warranty was backed up
with warranty insurance such that if ET would not be around in ten days or
ten/twenty years the insurance would still be available. Comments?

Thanks,

Bill Loesch
Solar 1 - Saint Louis Solar


- Original Message - 
From: Bill Brooks billbroo...@yahoo.com
To: 'RE-wrenches' re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2010 10:46 AM
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Astopower 120 failure


Carl and David,

Of course this means nothing related to the AstroPower warranty. The lawyers
at GE Energy were very careful to wait until AstroPower was officially dead
before they bought the Equipment to make modules from them. There is no
warranty--even though they are materially identical to the early GE product.
In the U.S. we call that business.

Bill.


-Original Message-
From: re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org
[mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of David
Brearley
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2010 8:32 AM
To: RE-wrenches
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Astopower 120 failure

Carl,

Here's an excerpt from a news release that went out in late-December:

Motech Industries Inc. (6244. TW) has signed an agreement to acquire GE
Energy¹s (NYSE: GE) Delaware solar module assembly operation. The plant,
which is located in Newark, Delaware assembles crystalline silicon based
photovoltaic modules and currently employs 75 people.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

With the acquisition, Motech will be granted the rights to use GE Energy¹s
module trademark for two years. In addition, Motech will assume the
responsibility to provide warranty services to GE¹s existing module clients.

Motech has been a supplier of solar cells to GE Energy for the past four
years.

David Brearley, Senior Technical Editor
SolarPro magazine
NABCEP Certified PV Installer 


On 6/8/10 10:13 AM, Carl Hansen solar...@cybermesa.com wrote:

 I have a warrantee issue with an Astropower 120, from what I've read it
 seems GE bought them out. Does anyone have contact info at hand for GE ?
   The panel is showing two burn marks on the backing at the point of two
 adjacent solder joints on one cell.

 Carl,
 HansenSun Electric

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 www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm

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 www.members.re-wrenches.org








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Re: [RE-wrenches] Astopower 120 failure

2010-06-08 Thread Joel Davidson

Hello Jim,

Astropower's evolution is characteristic of some of the changes that happen 
to PV manufacturers, but Astropower's legal problems are not typical. Some 
very talented people worked at Astropower. They made good solar cells and

modules.

The company had it heyday. See
http://www.allbusiness.com/banking-finance/financial-markets-investing-securities/6113472-1.html

followed by
http://guntherportfolio.blogspot.com/2007/05/astropower-saga-continues-fraud-claims.html

and possibly ending with
http://www.sec.gov/litigation/litreleases/2009/lr20938.htm

For a chronology, see
http://guntherportfolio.blogspot.com/2006/08/astropower-decline-of-solar.html

Regarding your comment about revolving doors, it may seem that way because 
good ideas and good people hang in there. I think that one of the 
fundamental problems with PV is that is so darn attractive to both idealists 
and opportunists. At the wrench level, many of us techno-environmentalists 
were attracted to this wonderful electric generator that almost magically 
consumes and emits nothing. Our involvement with PV borders on obsession. 
The same attraction (sometimes not so idealistically) occurs at the 
manufacturing level where scientists, engineers, marketing  sales people, 
and managers are constantly stirring the pot resulting in change that often 
drives wrenches crazy.


Arco Solar popularized the PV change game. Some of you may recall when Arco 
Solar announced that it was committed for 10 years to making 1 ft by 4 ft 
modules only to change to 13-inch wide modules the very next year. That was 
that start of the industry's constant model churning that has resulted in 
umpteen different shapes, sizes, and colors that change as often as fashion 
clothes. Arco management loved PV enough to invest $150 million over 10 
years into Arco Solar - which benefited Siemens - which then went to Shell - 
which is now SolarWorld.


Astropower's launch and crash took less time than Arco Solar, but was driven 
by the same fundamental motivation - a desire to make big bucks in 
technology followed by the realization that PV is not a billionaire maker. 
Nevertheless, there are few better ways for techno-twits to earn money while 
waiting patiently for foul your nest and move west to be replaced by 
sustainability.


Joel Davidson

- Original Message - 
From: James A. Hartley gr...@inil.com

To: RE-wrenches re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2010 10:11 AM
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Astopower 120 failure


Has anyone been chronicling the curious morphological progressions of PV
module manufacturers over the years?  I'd be curious to know how that has
flowed, and maybe why precisely.  From my current distant remove from all
this action what I see is endless revolving doors or brand new doors looking
for a convenient passing hole.  Is that how all the bucks get recycled for a
spell and then the buckeroos go on to the next best opportunity elsewhere?
I think there's a fitting name for that inclination but I conveniently
forget it.



- Original Message - 
From: Bill Brooks billbroo...@yahoo.com

To: 'RE-wrenches' re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2010 10:46 AM
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Astopower 120 failure


Carl and David,

Of course this means nothing related to the AstroPower warranty. The lawyers
at GE Energy were very careful to wait until AstroPower was officially dead
before they bought the Equipment to make modules from them. There is no
warranty--even though they are materially identical to the early GE product.
In the U.S. we call that business.

Bill.


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Re: [RE-wrenches] Astopower 120 failure ERRATA

2010-06-08 Thread Allan Sindelar




BP replaced all 12 of my underperforming Solarex MSX64s under warranty
around 2002.










Allan Sindelar
Allan@positiveenergysolar.com
NABCEP Certified Photovoltaic Installer
EE98J Journeyman Electrician
Positive Energy, Inc.
3201 Calle Marie
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87507
505 424-1112
www.positiveenergysolar.com



On 6/8/2010 6:37 PM, Bill Loesch wrote:

  
Fellow Wrenches,

I'm still interested if _any_ takeover manufacturer has ever supported the
previous warranty.

In regards to the local ET Solar presentation, and a follow up phone call to
their California location, I have misstated that there is _any_ warranty
once ET goes bust. (Evidently, that piece of training was too technical for
me to get it right the first time.)

Apologies,

Bill Loesch
Solar 1 - Saint Louis Solar


- Original Message - 
From: "Bill Loesch" solar1onl...@charter.net
To: "RE-wrenches" re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2010 2:56 PM
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Astopower 120 failure



Fellow Wrenches,

Is there any variation in the "business model" of _any_ other takeover of
now defunct module manufacturers? e.g.. Siemens - Shell - SolarWorld?

I was recently at one of the solar industries current profit centers, dba
"training", which featured, among others, ET Solar (single and multicrystal
manufacturer based in China). The subject of warranty came up and the
presenter stated that their quality and power output warranty was backed up
with warranty insurance such that if ET would not be around in ten days or
ten/twenty years the insurance would still be available. Comments?

Thanks,

Bill Loesch
Solar 1 - Saint Louis Solar


- Original Message - 
From: "Bill Brooks" billbroo...@yahoo.com
To: "'RE-wrenches'" re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2010 10:46 AM
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Astopower 120 failure


Carl and David,

Of course this means nothing related to the AstroPower warranty. The lawyers
at GE Energy were very careful to wait until AstroPower was officially dead
before they bought the Equipment to make modules from them. There is no
warranty--even though they are materially identical to the early GE product.
In the U.S. we call that "business".

Bill.


-Original Message-
From: re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org
[mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of David
Brearley
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2010 8:32 AM
To: RE-wrenches
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Astopower 120 failure

Carl,

Here's an excerpt from a news release that went out in late-December:

"Motech Industries Inc. (6244. TW) has signed an agreement to acquire GE
Energys (NYSE: GE) Delaware solar module assembly operation. The plant,
which is located in Newark, Delaware assembles crystalline silicon based
photovoltaic modules and currently employs 75 people.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

With the acquisition, Motech will be granted the rights to use GE Energys
module trademark for two years. In addition, Motech will assume the
responsibility to provide warranty services to GEs existing module clients.

Motech has been a supplier of solar cells to GE Energy for the past four
years."

David Brearley, Senior Technical Editor
SolarPro magazine
NABCEP Certified PV Installer 


On 6/8/10 10:13 AM, "Carl Hansen" solar...@cybermesa.com wrote:

  
  
I have a warrantee issue with an Astropower 120, from what I've read it
seems GE bought them out. Does anyone have contact info at hand for GE ?
  The panel is showing two burn marks on the backing at the point of two
adjacent solder joints on one cell.

Carl,
HansenSun Electric

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