Solar panel reviews
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JinKo solar panel reviews
Trina solar panel reviews
LonGi solar panel reviews
Aiko solar panel reviews
Risen solar panel reviews
JA solar panel reviews
Canadian solar panel reviews
Sunpower Maxeon solar panel review
REC solar panel reviews
The most popular panels, updated January 2025
As of 15th January 2025 there were 8,511 solar panel choices approved for installation in Australia.
Here's an excel spreadsheet of all of them.
However, what we, and almost every other solar company sells and installs is a much shorter list.
We only sell and install what the ten Perth solar wholesalers decide to stock.
JinKo is comfortably the 'most-stocked' brand across the wholesalers.
Aiko is fast catching up with JinKo, which astonishes me considering how new the brand is to Australia.
Quite a few stock Trina.
The rest, being Risen, Seraphim, Canadian Solar, JA, Das, Eging, and Suntech are stocked by one, sometimes two wholesalers.
And it's NEVER the whole range they stock either.
You might visit a panel manufacturer website and find just what you are looking for.
Typically your choice is NOT available in WA, and often, not anywhere in Australia either.
So what am I saying here?
Is it..."You get what you are given?"
Yes, that's about right.
Fortunately what wholesalers tend to stock is what will sell the best.
With our single phase 6.66kW panel limit that means panels with a wattage that fit's as close to 6.66kW as possible.
15 x 440W panels = 6.6kW
14 x 475W panels = 6.65kW
Those are both very good fits.
450W panels x 14 = 6.3kW. Not so good
500W panels x 13 = 6.5kW. Better but still not as good.
Which leads me, finally, to the point of all this...
Aiko 475W is currently the most in-demand panel, at least from the good people who contact Solar4Ever.
The build quality is better than average, and it has some neat/unique anti-shade features.
It's also the most 'efficient' panel we have ever installed at 23.8%.
It sells for $195, less $150 in subsidies, making each 475W panel, $45 to you.
JinKo's all-black 440W panel, coupled with some all-black roof fixings, is next most popular.
22% efficient.
Or their 475W, 22% efficient panel?
That's $166, less $150 in subsidies, making each $16 to you.
How about something a bit cheaper still?
There's absolutely nothing wrong with a Risen, Seraphim, LonGi, Eging, 440W panel.
Same 25 year defect warranty, same 'N' type cells, except LonGi which still uses 'P's.
They all cost about $140, less $137 in subsidies, making them $3 each.
6.6kW comparing apples with apples
14 x Aiko 475W (6.65kW), after STC subsidy, $630.
14 x JinKo 475W (6.65kW), after STC subsidy, $224.
15 x Risen/Seraphim/LonGi 440W (6.6kW), after subsidy,$45.
For a small 6.6kW system, many people are happy to purchase the Aiko panels.
$585 is not a huge difference.
When it's a larger system with 20-30kW of panels then the price difference becomes more significant.
Falling AUD will likely mean higher panel prices soon.
Solar is bought in USD so when that goes up, then so do solar prices.
USD has been on an upward trajectory since the American election.
Any panels I am not a fan of?
Well yes, but I'll give some background first.
A 3 phase solar inverter allows 1000V strings of panels.
Therefore, the lower the voltage of the panel, the more panels you can fit on each string.
For single phase it's 600V strings (sometimes 550V).
Again, the lower the panel voltage, the more panels fit on a 600V string.
We can fit a maximum of 17x Trina Vertex S+ 440W panels on a 1000V string, for 7.48kW
or.. 23 x JinKo/Risen/Seraphim/Longi 440W panels on the 1000V string, for 10.12kW
or..22 x Aiko 475W on that same 1000V string, for 10.45kW
That difference is because the Trina panels have a much higher voltage than usual.
I simply can't see a reason why anyone would install those 440W Trina's. Too restrictive.
BUT...Trina happen to have a new 500W panel that's got a much lower voltage than their 440W model.
You can get 23 of those puppies on a 1000V, giving a whopping 11.5kW.
So a big 'NO' from me for one Trina panel, and a resounding 'YES' for another Trina panel.
The only other panels I am wholeheartedly against are the very few 'unique' ones.
Panels with voltages and current that is so different to 'mainstream'.
What if the manufacturer goes out of business?
25/30/40 year warranties. That's a VERY long time worrying whether they will survive.
Nothing to replace a faulty panel with down the track because of that uniqueness.
We don't sell REC and Sunpower brands for this reason.
If a panel has 'normal' electrical specs we can replace it with any other normal panel.
No worrying about whether the brand will survive or not. Anything else will do as a replacement.
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.
