We've been receiving a number of questions lately about who is Maxeon, who is SunPower, and what solar panels we will be selling at Sun Powered Yachts in 2023? This post will delve deeper into who these two global, solar super players are, and what changes transpired within their corporate relationship in 2022. We will also explain how these changes affect the supply line for 2023 and beyond in North America and globally. The two companies announced their plan to split in August 2020, but Maxeon continued their exclusive supply agreement with SunPower through 2022. Here is a visual to better exhibit this separation.
Maxeon Solar Technologies has been the manufacturing and development arm of this solar partnership, patenting the unique Maxeon cell technology, with a solid copper back sheet. This patented cell design has enabled Maxeon to essentially rise above all other solar panel manufacturers, in being able to make the world's highest efficiency solar panels. They've had long standing corporate exclusivity supply agreements with SunPower in North America, to brand these high efficiency residential and commercial rigid solar panels, as well as the whole E-Flex line of flexible panels, exclusively for SunPower. We've always purchased the E-Flex line from Maxeon, not directly from SunPower. Maxeon has always been the manufacturer, they have just been branded for SunPower in North America this whole time.
SunPower Corporation has been the North American marketing, PR, sales, and installation arm of this partnership. This all changed in early 2022, when the two companies split ways and changed their longstanding, exclusive supply agreements. SunPower, has pulled out of commercial sales completely within North America as of February 2022. Soon after, they announced that SunPower would also be only supplying AC panels (panels with individual micro inverters mounted on the back) moving forward for all installations, ending their multi decade long DC panel supply channel to their residential dealer network. As we only purchase the highest efficiency DC panels for our customers, we decided to terminate our coveted dealership.
We have officially terminated our SunPower Authorized Dealership last week, as we open new doors with Maxeon for DC panel supply going forward into 2023 and beyond. We will be offering both the Max3-415-Black and the 470-COM, silver framed panel in 2023 as our rigid panel options. We will continue to purchase the 50W and 100W E-Flex panels, and hope to see the new MaxAir335 flex panel this summer.
In this industry we refer to all of this as the solar coaster... we're all strapped in for the ride, with it's ups and downs and fast curves! For us specifically, these changes were not as challenging to navigate as they were for other residential SunPower installing dealers. We have a great relationship with Maxeon, since we started Sun Powered Yachts in 2018, and had the ability to adapt to these changes more easily as we were already working with them directly. We will continue our commitment to supply only the highest efficiency panels for our customers. Going forward those will all be from Maxeon, and you will see their logos soon replace SunPower's on our website, and other marketing materials. Change is good! We're really excited about the 415s and 470s, and are looking forward to helping more people go solar in 2023!
If you have any questions or want to ask more about these corporate changes within SunPower and Maxeon, please send us an email at info@sunpoweredyachts.com. Happy to share our
insights and more details.
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