SunPower Origin, SunPower's New Solar Panel, Launches in Europe with 8th-Generation Back-Contact Technology and a Single 40-Year Warranty

"Back-contact is where solar mass market is heading, but very few companies can manufacture it at scale. We were the first to put it into commercial production, in 2004, and Origin is our eighth generation," said Steven Zhang, General Manager, TCL SunPower Global. "Previous generations went onto real roofs and taught us something: about micro-cracks, about behaviour in shade, about what happens to a solder joint after twenty summers. That's what you can't buy by switching a production line over. Because we know how these cells age, we can put a 40-year warranty on the panel, and the TCL Group's vertically integrated supply chain and financial strength stand behind it."

Origin places all electrical contacts on the back of the cell, leaving the front free to collect light. The cells are patterned using lithography rather than laser processing, a method that TCL SunPower says reduces micro-cracks, and are joined by solder that withstands temperatures of up to 220°C. Shade is the hardest test for any panel: a chimney, a vent or a layer of leaves forces current through the shaded cell and heats it. A 54-cell Origin panel behaves as if it had more than 16,000 bypass diodes, so the shaded cell stays below 100°C and the rest of the panel keeps producing. Origin is certified Class A+ for shading resistance by TÜV Rheinland, and its broader spectral response helps output in the morning, the evening and under cloud.

"We describe SunPower Origin as the original, the safest, and the strongest," said Karin Alberto-Burkhardt, Director PV Product Management, TCL SunPower Global. "Original, because SunPower was the first to industrialize back-contact cell technology in 2004 and has since built one of the industry's broadest IP portfolios. Origin represents the eighth generation of this technology platform. Safest, because its back-contact architecture is engineered for superior thermal and mechanical reliability, minimizing hot-spot risk under partial shading while maintaining robust cell interconnections over time. Strongest, because the technology is backed by a 40-year warranty from a company with the scale, heritage, and financial strength to stand behind it. With Origin, installers deploy technology proven over decades, not an experiment."

Across its 15 GW of installed capacity, SunPower reports a warranty return rate of 0.005%, based on an internal claims analysis conducted in June 2026. A study presented at the IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, drawing on 3.2 million module-years of field data, supports the company's reported average degradation of less than 0.25% per year. Origin is warranted at that same level, with degradation not exceeding 0.25% per year, and has a temperature coefficient of -0.26%/°C.

Origin carries a complete 40-year warranty covering the product, its power output and service. The warranty is supported by SunPower's legal entities in its main European markets, as well as by the company's long track record of installing back-contact panels and monitoring their degradation and return rates. It is also backed by the financial strength of the TCL Group. TCL SunPower is recognized as a Tier 1 module manufacturer by BloombergNEF (Q3 2026).

The residential panel has 54 cells in a 1,800 × 1,134 mm frame and delivers up to 505 W at up to 24.7% efficiency, fully black. The commercial panel has 66 cells, measures 2,192 × 1,134 mm and delivers up to 615 W. It is bifacial, with up to 80% bifaciality, collecting reflected light on its rear side, and suits commercial roofs where vents, HVAC units, and corners limit how many panels fit.

SunPower Origin is available now to SunPower Partners across Europe. For more information about SunPower Origin, visit https://www.sunpowerglobal.com/uk/homeowners/products/sunpower-origin-back-contact-solar-panels.

Installers who want to become SunPower Partners can apply at https://www.sunpowerglobal.com/uk/become-sunpower-solar-partner.

About TCL SunPower Global

Backed by the global strength, financial stability, and technological leadership of the TCL Group, TCL SunPower Global is a leading solar energy provider committed to delivering high‑performance, reliable, and accessible solar solutions worldwide. The company combines advanced technology, vertically integrated manufacturing, and a strong focus on sustainability to drive the global energy transition. TCL SunPower Global brings together two complementary brands: SunPower, delivering premium, fully integrated residential energy solutions, and TCL-TCL Solar, providing high-performance, cost-effective solar and energy solutions. Together, they meet the diverse needs of the global solar market - from residential rooftop installations to commercial projects and utility‑scale developments.

More information: sunpowerglobal.com and LinkedIn.

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SOURCE TCL SunPower Global