Is there much difference in quality between solar systems?

In recent years, the renewables market has exploded with manufacturers so there are now many names to choose from when it comes to solar panels and the associated equipment for installation. However, these brands are unknown by reputation.

One key differentiator is quality but distinguishing what is true quality is problematic for most consumers because they are presented in such a way that they can look comparable.

Let’s take the 30 year panel degradation warranty, for example. With the offer of this long term assurance a customer could be easily persuaded into thinking that the product is going to offer a solid solution for at least that length of time. However, there is a little more behind the scenes that needs to be understood.

A panel degradation warranty covers the maximum amount of loss of efficiency that the manufacturer anticipates to see over an expected life of 30 years. For example, Jinko panels experience a 1% degradation in the first year. After that, they degrade by 0.4% annually until year 30 (they expect the efficiency after 30 years to be 87.4%) . Compare this to Aiko which offers degradation of ≤ 1.0%. and ≤ 0.35% annually for up to 30 years (Efficiency is over 89% after 30 years). Aiko 445W panels boast an impressive efficiency of 23.1%, outperforming many competitors.  Jinko’s comparison 445W has an efficiency of 22.27%. It doesn’t sound like much but these are lab tested results and in the real world, these margins matter and things can play out very differently.

 Unfortunately, these lower quality designs have a higher rate of failure too (a higher rated panel should be more efficient if it is of quality). Whilst your warranty may cover the cost of the panel, there is no compensation for the costs associated with replacing it – the scaffolding, the labour and the recommissioning. There is a huge risk here in the extra money you could be shelling out for not choosing quality over cost and meaning your return on investment quickly is eradicated.

It’s not just the solar panels that make a difference to optimising the performance of your PV Solar energy solution. We could apply similar metrics to the inverter and battery too. Of course, the interaction between components has the potential to make problems far worse.

We’re also getting an increasing number of new customers come to us to resolve issues that their previous installer has left behind. Sadly some of those companies have gone bust but others have become unresponsive because they have found the technical issues too complex once the system is installed.

We’ve created this graph to try and help illustrate. What this graphic shows is that the predicted output provided by installers is based on a perfect world scenario; one where nothing causes interference with your system and nothing goes wrong. In this industry, this is a flaw and one that many installers don’t like to talk about.

You see, whilst you require electrical knowledge to install solar panels, customers should consider that these systems are technology solutions, designed with multiple parts reliant on each other to optimise performance…and who hasn’t had a piece of tech that hasn’t needed a reboot or, worse still, the need to call in an expert to get it all going again?

This is where Tewdric Energy is different from many of its competitors. We have a background in technology to match our understanding of electrical design and so we understand that the communications between the components is essential to having an optimised system. When we talk to customers, we think about your future needs and returns as well as what you require from a system today.

So when you are calculating your Return on Investment ensure you consider the following:

1.       Look at real-world scenarios, not the perfect world view

2.       Take note of the efficiencies and do more homework if needed

3.       Consider the costs for replacing a panel, inverter or battery (even under warranty)

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