SolarBlend OE-34 home solar and other power systems
1 report to CPSC, the latest made Feb 17, 2015. A report isn’t a recall.
Watch and the shortlist are kept with a free account, on every device. Your watch list. CPSC’s own search is on saferproducts.gov.
At a glance
From SaferProducts.gov, released Oct 25, 2026.
- 1report to CPSC
- Feb 17, 2015the latest report was made
- Feb 17, 2015the earliest
- 0with the company’s comments
- Brand
- SolarBlend OE-34
- Maker
- Suntech Power Holdings Co., LtdMakers, importers or sellers, as the reports name them
- Product
- Home solar and other power systemsAlternative energy made at homeCPSC’s product type: Residential Alternative Energy Systems For On-site Power Gen (code 4084), in Home Maintenance and Structures: Electrical Systems
By month
The numbers, as a table
| Month | Reports |
|---|---|
| February 2015 | 1 |
How badly anyone was hurt
- No one hurt 1 CPSC: Incident, No Injury
As each report says it, in short words; CPSC’s own words are under each.
The reports, as CPSC published them
Reports people made to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC publishes each one after sending it to the company named, and doesn’t guarantee they’re accurate. A report isn’t a recall.
Each report is the words of the person who made it, as CPSC published them. The company’s comments, where CPSC published any, are set apart as the company’s own.
CPSC, SaferProducts.gov public database export. Released Oct 25, 2026. Updated daily.
-
No one hurt Made Feb 17, 2015, sent to the company Apr 29, 2015, published by CPSC May 13, 2015
The product, in the report: Open Energy SolarBlend OE-34 Watt integrated PV roof tiles (see attached sales order, product photo, and warranty documentation.)
BACKGROUND: I live in San Diego in a house that was newly constructed in 2009 with Open Energy OE-34 Watt integrated PV panels installed on the roof. When the original safety recall was issued in 2011 (CPSC alert #12-725), I shut down my PV system for 16 months until the wiring clam-shell retrofit was performed in October 2012.
The original manufacturer of the PV tiles was Open Energy and the distributor was Eagle Roofing. Applied Solar LLC acquired Open Energy and in 2009 Applied Solar LLC declared bankruptcy and went out of business.
CONCERNS: I have several ongoing concerns regarding these panels:
1. FIRE SAFETY: I understand that there have been an additional two or three roof fires known to be caused by the OE34W panels even after the wiring clam shell retrofits were made. I see the CPSC has a recent recall posted (#[REDACTED]) that’s applicable to 240 “solar homes” with OE-34W panels built by [REDACTED] in [REDACTED] and [REDACTED], because of these fires. [REDACTED] appears to be replacing these integrated PV systems with standard rack systems to eliminate the potential for any more roof fires.
My question to the CPSC is, what makes the systems installed by [REDACTED] unique or different from any of the other OE-34 systems that were installed by other builders, including mine in San Diego? Am I living in a house still at risk of a roof fire even with the safety retrofits done in 2012?
2. PERFORMANCE DEGRADATION and FIRE SAFETY: It is clear to me that these Open Energy OE-34W (and presumably the OE-50W panels, as well) are grossly defective, either in design or through flaws in manufacturing. Even ignoring the fire safety risks that triggered the 2011 and the 2014 [REDACTED] recalls, these PV panels degrade and fail prematurely. After 6 years of installation and 4-1/2 years of actual use, my PV system is currently putting out just 70% of its first year’s output. (The system is warrantied at 90% output for 10 years and 80% for 25 years). One of my neighbors, whose house was built one year before mine and has the exact same OE-34W panels, is getting just ~25% of his first year’s output. As an engineer, I have to wonder if this degradation process is related to the fire ignition mechanism? Again I ask, are we living in houses at risk of bursting into flames on any given hot sunny day?
SPECIFIC QUESTIONS: A. Did the [REDACTED] fires start because of short-circuits, panel de-lamination, cracks, or something else? (What is the failure mechanism?)
B. Was a degradation in power output noted at the time or related to the roof fires?
C. If the [REDACTED] fires weren’t caused by a unique installation issue, what makes the SolarSave OE-34W panels on my house any different than the ones that were on the [REDACTED] houses?
I need answers to these questions so that I can decide on my own whether or not to remove these panels from my roof for fire safety reasons. Or will it be OK to let them degrade to zero output in the next few years? I have been unsuccessful in getting my builder, his contractors, sub-contractors, or even Wuxi-Suntech itself (the panel manufacturer) to help me or even to diagnose the specific problem(s), presumably because no one wants to assume financial responsibility.
Any specific information from the CPSC would be greatly appreciated.
- Bought from
- BRADCO SUPPLY CALIFORNIA #261
- Bought
- Jun 30, 2009
- Where
- Unspecified: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Unspecified
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand SolarBlend OE-34, made or sold by Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
CPSC’s disclaimer
Disclaimer: CPSC does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of the Publicly Available Consumer Product Safety Information Database on SaferProducts.gov, particularly with respect to information submitted by people outside of CPSC.
Word for word, from the disclaimer in CPSC’s export.
Sources
Sources
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U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, SaferProducts.gov public database export.
Released Oct 25, 2026 and checked Oct 25, 2026. Updated daily. Public domain (U.S. Government work). CPSC asks to be credited, and that no endorsement be implied.
Reports of harm are from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), on SaferProducts.gov. CPSC does not endorse Hearth Record.