CHOICE Solar Panel Review (Jan 2023 Update)

It would have been good to know the results of all panel tests, rather than just the top performing ones…otherwise when one is out shopping for panels, they are likely to be told furphies by the sales people in relation to the performance and reliability of the panels they are pushing. Without the information, one would not know if the panels are acceptable (slightly less scoring than the top ones) or rubbish (bottom of the pile).

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Our solar panel review has been updated for 2019 (member content).

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Whilst walking past the TV my wife was watching the other day, I overheard the last part of an ad for some solar system at some “unbelivable” price.

It ended wih a hard sell message of “act now before the prices rise”.

Solar prices are going to go up? Yeah right. And I have this bridge for sale.

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I actually saw the start of the ad today.

it is Arise Solar or was that Price Rises Solar?

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No LG Neon2s with 25 year parts and labour warranties backed by LG Electronics? Or their competitor Sunpower with the same?

OK, people might not be buying them in droves because they cost more, but are they worth the extra dollars for any reason beside the warranties?

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A panel that costs twice as much for a few percent extra output isn’t worth it IMO, assuming similar performance warranty periods. Better off buying more of the less expensive panels to get a greater output.

More efficient panels allow more output from a given area of panels, which might be handy in the case of a small roof, but even then the economics might not stack up.

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Output wise it would be as you say, but if quality of manufacture is the issue then depending on the reliability buying more expensive panels may actually be more economically sound in the long run. You might know better than many others but are there some panels you need to avoid because of the reliability? I think I remember some news/current affairs programs talking about panels that have failed in very short time of use (way below their payback time).

How hard is it to test reliability in a test lab? I guess glass etc maybe easy to destruction test but what about weathering effects for panels that are meant to last many multiples of years eg 15 or 25, the solder the insulation, glues etc that would be used to create the panels. Can CHOICE even test for these effects in a manner that gives a reliable statistically outcome? I think it would be hard to guess who of panel manufacturers or retailers might still be be around in even 10 years so one could assert their ACL rights. Some I would guess you could have reasonable faith in but others would be high risk.

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I think the ads by various companies have always said this. It is because they are offering the “special price” before Govts remove any subsidies. Not sure where the subsidy programs are at the moment and maybe someone who follows this area closely may be able to advise where the various subsidy programs are at and when or if they may be removed or reduced??

The Federal Govt believe they will romp home regarding their Paris commitments so they may not be doing much in regard to keeping current (if any are in place) subsidies going.

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The RECS decline at the end of each calendar year until they reach zero in 2030.

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The ACCC has been pushing for the removal of credit for STCs for a while, as they say the industry doesn’t need them any more.

Whilst they certainly reduce the cost of PV systems, in reality they allow the big generators to keep burning coal and gas and not invest so much in renewable energy. Really they are little more than a licence to pollute for the fossil fuel power generation industry in order to meet their (rather weak IMO) commitments to reduce CO2 emissions.

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Hard to keep track of definitively, but going for well established brands and avoiding the very latest tech (PERC panels come to mind) is probably the best way to go. With new materials and processes being used in solar cell manufacture, sometimes modes of failure might not show up for some years- after the new tech panels have started appearing on the market. Well established companies often detect the problems earlier and modify their processes to fix the problem. El cheapo brands will be well behind.
Also well established brands are probably more likely to be around to honour any warranty issues.

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Another significant factor in panel election is the physical construction. Which panels are more resistant to impact damage, less likely to suffer UV and temperature degradation (physically, not electrically), and hermetically sealed for life?

All panels appear to be very similar in performance electrically when new.

It would seem that the only good reason for paying a premium for a panel is longevity at rated performance. Unfortunately that is not tested independently of the manufacturer?

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Hi Brendan, I’m currently looking at solar. I notice that in some of your informational text, you mention the “Sunpower” brand solar panels, but they have not been included in your most recent review. I ask because I have been quoted for this brand as an option. They do seem to be high end panels in performance, and warranty and price!
Thanks, Bill.

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Hi @WJL, welcome to the community.

The Choice reviews provide a snapshot of the market. It is worth reading the Choice guides.

We’ve purchased and installed two solar PV systems. There are so many different brands and models. It can be overwhelming. An additional source of information we found useful is the Solar Quotes web site. On PV panels,

There is a good discussion of the benefits of sticking to Tier 1 rated manufacturers.

IMO the absolute rated performance of most panels is less critical than reliability, durability and stability of the manufacture/supplier. Small differences in technical performance are insufficient to justify a large difference in purchase price. If you read some of the other community Solar PV topics, one of the previous comments suggested PV panels are cheap. Paying 25% more for a panel to get 2-3% more power is hardly worthwhile. It’s simpler to just buy an extra panel or two if that is the concern.

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If you have not, see solarquotes.com.au @mark_m included as a reliable, honest source for information. Choice selects products to test based on the market, eg what consumers are buying in volume, with the occasional exemplar product thrown in for comparison.

In other cases Choice collaborate with its sister companies Which! in the UK and Consumer NZ for tests or republication rights, edited for our market.

Just because a product is not included should not be taken negatively. It could be low volume (sometimes because of high price) compared to its competition. Sunpower provides terrestrial PV panels to NASA that should give some credibility to the product, but whether they are worth the extra cost is for a consumer to consider. About 2 years ago Sunpower added a made in China cheaper panel series in addition to their US products to better compete; if that matters to you, pay attention to which model is on offer. I was offered the Chinese made Sunpower panels at about the same cost as LG Neon2’s. Technically it seemed a toss up, but I went with the LGs because of their respective corporate scales and market share providing me more confidence in support that might be required over the 25 years warranty.

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Thanks mark_m and PhilTfor your advice. I had already carefully read both the Choice guides and reviews and also all of Finn Peacock’s excellent information on the Solarquotes pages.
I was just curious as to why Sunpower panels were not included in the latest Choice review… They appear to be the most efficient panels on the market, and have the best warranty against performance decay. They are relatively expensive, but perhaps the state of flux of the company may have influenced Choice’s decision?. That might have removed the company from Tier 1 rating?

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It could be that there are around 6000 panels registered for use in Australia. If Choice included every make and model in testing, it would be a very high investment and also need a lot of resources to complete. Unfortunately Choice has a finite budget and is limited to the what it can reasonably test.

Choice generally selects those products which are readily available and ‘popular’ within the market place. This could be another reason why Sunpower panels didn’t make it into Choice’s tests.

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About to invest in a solar system so what woukd be the best Solar panels and inverters for a single phase 6.6 kWh system

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Welcome to the Community @Asudo,

I merged your topic into this existing one that has links to various Choice articles, and to the SolarQuotes web site that is a wealth of information and is a must read for self-education.

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As outlined above, make sure you install tier 1 known brand products from reputable manufacturers…and not rebranded products from unknown manufacturers…and avoid those rebranded by the installer.

If the installer goes belly up, then with known brands from reputable manufacturers, one has the opportunity to go back to the manufacturer if there is a hardware fault. If one uses rebranded products and the installer goes belly up, one may be left with a dud installation without any recourse if there is a hardware fault.

Also ignore advertising from fly-by-night cheap installing companies (such as often seen on Facebook, Google ads etc). Get a good, reputable installer who can design a system that best meets your needs based on your usage and consumption profile.

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