Solar panel reviews
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JinKo solar panel reviews
Trina solar panel reviews
LonGi solar panel reviews
Canadian solar panel reviews
Sunpower solar panel review
REC solar panel reviews
Seraphim solar panel reviews
JA solar panel reviews
The most popular panels, updated July 2024
A typical 440W panel sells for $160 inc GST
The subsidy on that panel, at the moment, is $200 (no GST)
Installation of that panel, labour, roof fixings, is typically $70.
So if you are installing a 15 panel (6.6kW) system it costs $450.
Ridiculous right?
I have no real idea why solar panels are so incredibly cheap this year.
I thought that it might be the Chinese home market contracting.
But then I read reports that China's solar farm installs are booming.
The EU and USA have big tariffs on Chinese (and other countries) imported panels.
Australia doesn't.
So that's the background.
Popular solar panel brands.
Whilst a few people spend ten times as much on a SunPower Maxeon panel for reasons that elude me,
the majority buy almost identical panels from brands like JinKo, Trina, LonGi, JA, Risen, Canadian Solar.
All Chinese, all huge with factories not just in China but in many places around the World.
(That is probably in an attempt to circumvent tariffs).
When I say huge...
The six brands I named above produced over 500 gigawatts of panels in 2023.
e.g. 1.136 billion x 440W solar panels in one year from 6 companies. Staggering.
And there are at least another 15 pretty large Chinese panel manufacturers.
e.g. TW, Seraphim, Astronergy etc
All of these panels are identical.
OK, that's not entirely true as there are a few tiny differences here and there.
I think of them a bit like bananas. (Sorry if I'm offending banana experts here).
They all look and taste the same, but some have that red wax to show they are ethically produced.
Believe it or not, solar panels are also 'ethically' and 'non ethically' produced.
I'm not going to get into the politics of that last statement, but many will know what I mean.
My point is that they have become a commodity.
It's almost pointless spending hours researching whether this panel is better than that panel.
There appears to be no such things as patents in Chinese solar. They copy each other all the time.
That's probably what the Chinese solar farm operators want.
Exactly the same products from everyone, so they can simply haggle on price not details.
What to look for in a solar panel?
N type. There are still a few Perc 'P' type celled panels being sold off but mostly it's all 'N' types now.
Once the exclusive domain of the most expensive brands, 'N' type cells are now mainstream.
That's one reason why we've lost two of the four premium brands, LG and Q.Cells
with only REC and Sunpower Maxeon remaining.
Low voltage, high current is desirable in Australia.
We have this ridiculous 600V limit on a solar panel string (unique to Australia I think).
The higher the panel voltage, the fewer panels fit inside that 600V limit.
It was very interesting to see Trina who had been marketing 440W Vertex S+ panel switch.
The S+ was high voltage, low current, so here in Perth we could get 9 of their panels on a string.
That compared to 13, possibly 14 of the other brands.
So I see the new Trina Vertex N panel coming soon, is 500W and low voltage. Smart.
Warranties are all insane these days. 25 years, sometimes 30 years.
Strike two for the premium panels that used to offer 25 years when the Chinese panels were 10 years.
That really wasn't all that long ago.
Will we be around in 25 years to support that warranty... will they?
To be brutally honest it doesn't matter. They are very reliable but that's not the real reason.
It's that they are all identical, so interchangeable.
Strike 3 for the premium panels that are anything but interchangeable.
Black is the in-thing and on some roofs it looks better and on others, imo, worse.
Panels can be made to look all-black by either having a black backsheet which is usually white.
Alternatively they can overlap cells to hide the backsheet.
If you fancy all-black panels then it might cost you $10 a panel more.
Strike four for the premium brands and their all-black panels costing hundreds of dollars more.
Black rail and fixings is readily available to complete the all-black look usually at little extra cost.
Efficiency...
The most misunderstood word in all of solar.
It's not about power production per se, it's about how much roof space is needed.
15 x Risen 440W panels, 22.5% efficient need 29.29 sq meters of roof.
15 x JinKo 440W panels, 22% efficient, need 29.97 sq meters of roof space.
They will both produce exactly the same power each year.
This is one of those things where every now and again we say to a prospective client...
We can squeeze one more panel on your roof if we use this brand that is slightly more efficient.
For most roofs though, given we have a bunch of restrictive nonsensical rules about what can be installed,
efficiency, or should I say more accurately, roof space efficiency, rarely matters.
Price
It shouldn't surprise anyone that they all cost the same.
I headlined this page with the $160 cost for a 440W panel.
That's JinKo, Trina, Longi, Risen...you name it give or a take a few dollars here or there.
Final word
JinKo are definitely the most popular brand and easy to sell. They have 440W and 475W N type panels.
There's an all-black version of the JinKo 440W panel as well.
Risen have done well, because of that very slight efficiency advantage.
We have had a terrible time with Trina and their high voltage panels, but their new range of low voltage panels will sell.
LonGi are not as consistently in-stock in Perth as others, but when they are here, they are popular.
Canadian Solar are also less available but with a name like that, popular.
"I don't want to buy Chinese"...ha ha
My boss here on all matters, Suzanne, has decided that we will not sell REC and Sunpower Maxeon at all now.
Q.Cells unexpected recent departure, following LG's spooked us about all premium panels.
Did you read the bit about interchangeability? We like identical not unique.
We, as the retailer, under ACL are on the hook for warranty for 40 years in SunPower's case.
No thank you. Repair, replace, refund is the law and it is on the retailer, not manufacturer.
Repair (impossible), replace (with what?) or refund (possible end of our fantastic business and livelihood).
If you want a quote for solar with any of these panels then call us on...
or email
These reviews were written by Andrew MacKeith, Solar4Ever service manager since 2011.
