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Premium Performance

N-Peak 3 Black

390–400 W · 66-cell · N-type TOPCon · Mono-glass

RECReleased 2021

67/ 100

Very good

Global

15+ Yrs Field-Proven

The verdict. In our Premium Performance class, REC N-Peak 3 Black leads on performance & degradation.

35thof 47 in Premium PerformanceLower halfclass average 69.1
Compare this panelAsk Watt →

The assessment

How it scores, by category

Architecture & Design78
Efficiency & Yield45
Durability (verified)68
Performance & Degradation82
Guarantee & Backbone73
Sustainability47

Market position

35thof 47 in Premium PerformanceLower half
606780

Our reading

N-Peak 3 Black scores 67, placing 36 of 47 in the Premium Performance class against a class average of 69.1. Its strongest scoring dimension is performance & degradation (82), above the class average of 78. Efficiency & Yield scores 45, the lowest pillar for this product. The class average on efficiency & yield is 72. Underlying specifications include a module efficiency of 20.3%, N-type TOPCon cell technology, 20-year product warranty backed by a 25-year performance term.

The data

Power
400W
Efficiency
20.3%
Cell
N-type TOPCon
Temp coeff
-0.34%/°C
Technology architecture

N-type TOPCon module

Architecture guide

Produces DC electricity at the roof. It contains no system-level power conversion or storage.

Product role
None in the module.
Published range
390–400 W
Electrical layer
DC module output
Construction
Mono-glass
Architecture describes the product boundary. It is not a system design or an equipment-pairing decision.

Performance guarantee: 25-year linear output

400 Wrated368W at yr 25
859095100Guaranteed floor 92.0%Product 20yr92.0%0yr5yr10yr15yr20yr25yr
Projected outputGuaranteed floor: 92.0% at yr 25Product warranty ends yr 20

Wattage figure based on the sourced rated power (400 W) applied to the guaranteed floor; modular/format differences aside, this is the same rated-power spec shown above.

Modelled effective output, year by year

345W324W

Year 1 to year 25, at 30°C and 1000 W/m². Rated 400 W at STC.

How this is modelled

Compounds this panel’s own published first-year (2%) and annual (0.25%/yr) degradation figures against its 400 W rated (STC) output, then derates for the ambient and irradiance selected. Output is scaled roughly linearly with irradiance (1000W/m² against the 1000 W/m² STC reference). This is the dominant real-world effect at low light, whether from cloud, shading or soiling. Output is then further derated for heat, from this panel’s own NOCT (44°C) and temperature coefficient (-0.34%/°C), giving an estimated cell temperature of 60°C at that ambient and irradiance. A datasheet-derived estimate, not a field measurement or a warranty guarantee: it does not account for this panel’s own low-light efficiency response (a separate, less-consistently-published spec), or for wind and system design. See NOCT and temperature coefficient in the glossary.

Control panel

30°C
1000 W/m²
Year1510152025
Watts345 W341 W337 W333 W328 W324 W
% of rated86.2%85.3%84.2%83.1%82.0%80.9%
Before you buy
Local positionUse a market view to check local availability, approvals and warranty scope.
Ask the installerWill the quote name the exact N-Peak 3 Black model and wattage, and who covers labour if the module warranty is used?

Verification & sources

Market context

Global evidencechange in the site menu

Global benchmark. This scorecard is benchmarked globally. A global score does not imply local availability, certification, warranty coverage, or installer compatibility.

Benchmark anchor. The score is anchored to the highest published rating in this exact published US series. Scored model: REC400NP3 Black · checked 2026-07-16. Evidence.

Sources & references · checked 2026-08-19

Strong evidence coverage

17 of 27 scored criteria link directly to a published source.

Values marked estimated, derived, or not found remain visible on the audit sheet and do not carry the same evidential weight as a linked source. Coverage measures direct links, not an independent guarantee that a claim is correct.

Record correction. REC N-Peak 3 Black Rev 2.1 UL sheet, US product page and N-Peak warranty Rev B3 reviewed 2026-08-06 Corrected 2026-08-19: LeTID recorded from the datasheet's "NO LIGHT INDUCED DEGRADATION" statement, previously logged as not stated. No score changes: the field is unscored. LeTID re-verified 2026-08-19 for rubric v2.12.0: scored under the returned criterion on the evidence recorded in its provenance. Re-verification 2026-08-19: Verified reliability recorded as "Previously validated, now lapsed" under panel rubric v2.13.0, which added a band for brand or series evidence where the exact model is not covered by the third-party record.

Change ledger

Product record history

4 changes to this record · 31 products changed in this update
  1. Record updated

    Source revision

    Current text
    REC N-Peak 3 Black Rev 2.1 UL sheet, US product page and N-Peak warranty Rev B3 reviewed 2026-08-06 Corrected 2026-08-19: LeTID recorded from the datasheet's "NO LIGHT INDUCED DEGRADATION" statement, previously logged as not stated. No score changes: the field is unscored. LeTID re-verified 2026-08-19 for rubric v2.12.0: scored under the returned criterion on the evidence recorded in its provenance. Re-verification 2026-08-19: Verified reliability recorded as "Previously validated, now lapsed" under panel rubric v2.13.0, which added a band for brand or series evidence where the exact model is not covered by the third-party record.

    The previous text is not reproduced here: both versions run to a full research paragraph. Both are in the JSON record linked below.

    Primary datasheet
  2. Record updated

    Global score

    Before
    68.2
    After
    67.4
    Primary datasheet
  3. Record updated

    Verified reliability

    Before
    Tested - pass
    After
    Previously validated, now lapsed
    Verified reliability
  4. Record updated

    Durability (verified) pillar score

    Before
    71.6
    After
    67.9
    Primary datasheet
6 changes to this record · 23 products changed in this update
  1. Evidence added

    LeTID resistance (IEC TS 63342): Evidence sources

    Before
    Not previously recorded
    After
    No direct source binding recorded
  2. Record updated

    Source revision

    Current text
    REC N-Peak 3 Black Rev 2.1 UL sheet, US product page and N-Peak warranty Rev B3 reviewed 2026-08-06 Corrected 2026-08-19: LeTID recorded from the datasheet's "NO LIGHT INDUCED DEGRADATION" statement, previously logged as not stated. No score changes: the field is unscored. LeTID re-verified 2026-08-19 for rubric v2.12.0: scored under the returned criterion on the evidence recorded in its provenance.

    The previous text is not reproduced here: both versions run to a full research paragraph. Both are in the JSON record linked below.

    Primary datasheet
  3. Record updated

    Durability (verified) pillar score

    Before
    72.7
    After
    71.6
    Primary datasheet
  4. Evidence added

    LeTID resistance (IEC TS 63342): Evidence status

    Before
    Not previously recorded
    After
    sourced
    No direct source binding recorded
  5. Record updated

    Global score

    Before
    68.5
    After
    68.2
    Primary datasheet
  6. Evidence added

    LeTID resistance (IEC TS 63342)

    Before
    Not previously recorded
    After
    LeTID resistance claimed for this product, no test cited
    No direct source binding recorded
1 change to this record · 9 products changed in this update
  1. Record updated

    Source revision

    Before
    REC N-Peak 3 Black Rev 2.1 UL sheet, US product page and N-Peak warranty Rev B3 reviewed 2026-08-06
    After
    REC N-Peak 3 Black Rev 2.1 UL sheet, US product page and N-Peak warranty Rev B3 reviewed 2026-08-06 Corrected 2026-08-19: LeTID recorded from the datasheet's "NO LIGHT INDUCED DEGRADATION" statement, previously logged as not stated. No score changes: the field is unscored.
    Primary datasheet
9 changes to this record · 106 products changed in this update
  1. Evidence removed

    Damp heat extended (2000h): Evidence sources

    Before
    After
    No longer recorded
    No direct source binding recorded
  2. Evidence removed

    Awards: Evidence status

    Before
    reviewed_absence
    After
    No longer recorded
    Primary datasheet
  3. Evidence removed

    Awards

    Before
    Not Listed
    After
    No longer recorded
    Primary datasheet
  4. Evidence removed

    Damp heat extended (2000h): Evidence status

    Before
    derived
    After
    No longer recorded
    No direct source binding recorded
  5. Evidence removed

    Awards: Evidence sources

    Before
    https://www.recgroup.com/sites/default/files/2024-11/ds_rec_n-peak_3_black_series_rev_2.1_ul_web.pdf
    After
    No longer recorded
    Primary datasheet
  6. Record updated

    Global score

    Before
    67.6
    After
    68.5
    Primary datasheet
  7. Record updated

    Durability (verified) pillar score

    Before
    72.5
    After
    72.7
    Primary datasheet
  8. Record updated

    Architecture & Design pillar score

    Before
    73.6
    After
    78.2
    Primary datasheet
  9. Evidence removed

    Damp heat extended (2000h)

    Before
    1000h IEC 61215 standard
    After
    No longer recorded
    No direct source binding recorded

This is review.solar's publication history. It does not claim the product changed on the recorded date, and it excludes compatibility, system pairing, installation suitability and relative leaderboard prose. Open the complete JSON record.

Evidence timeline

Recorded verification events for this scorecard. These are evidence checks, not historical score snapshots.

  1. Core scorecard evidence checked
  2. AU market evidence checked
  3. US market evidence checked
  4. Series benchmark evidence checked
  5. Plain-language warranty summary checked

Evidence record (JSON)

Scored by Solar Analytica Research

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