Sick of unwanted solar phone calls? Then read our handy guide to dealing with this scourge of modern Australia.

Have you ever settled down to enjoy a particularly intense episode of My Little Pony¹ when you were rudely interrupted by a cold-hearted cold caller trying to sell you a potentially shoddy and possibly overpriced solar power system?  If so, you are not alone.  Lots of grown men watch My Little Pony.  Also, plenty of people get called by dodgy solar marketers. [Read more…]

Is cracked silicon a defect that should be covered under the Product Warranty? Or is a crack only a defect if if affects performance?

When it comes to solar panel manufacturers, SunPower is basically royalty.  At 33 years old I can’t think of any solar panel focused company that’s survived longer.  It was founded in 1985 by Richard Swanson who is a solar panel genius.  By that I mean he’s been an important figure in field of solar photovoltaics and not that he’s a talking solar panel or something. [Read more…]

Lots Of Good News About Tindo Solar – Including An Annual Failure Rate As Low As 1 In 200,000 Panels

If you are in the market for some Australian made solar panels then I have great news for you.  It involves Tindo Solar as they are the only Australian manufacturer of panels.  If someone selling any other brand of panels says or suggests they were made in Australia, be super suspicious about that. [Read more…]

How To Save Money On Solar Power Without Compromising Too Much On Quality

I’ve covered a lot of ground in various articles I’ve written for the SolarQuotes blog.  But one thing I’ve never delved deeply into is the fundamental nature of the human soul.  Perhaps because at some level we fear the stark dichotomy that dwells inside us.  Within every human being there is a fundamental struggle between the desire to spend big and buy nice things and the desire to cheap out and save a few bucks. [Read more…]

I’ve already written about how incredibly awful solar panel performance warranties are, but I’m writing about them again because they are so bad I could write for days on the topic and still have a big sack full of snide remarks left over. However, despite my massive sack, I have to admit that warranties are improving.  And not just performance warranties, which are currently for 25 or 30 years, but also the more useful product warranties that are mostly for 10 years.

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I’ve actually read the solar panel warranties for most of the major solar panel brands. They are almost universally full of crap clauses. Thankfully you are protected by Australian Consumer Law no matter what the warranty says.

SALESMAN:  Hi everybody!  I’m Ronald Brakels and have I got a deal for you!  Right now, for a limited time only, I am selling Brakels LED lights.  And let me tell you, they’re the best.  We have all the best LEDs here at Brakels Incorporated.  If you install these LED lights you will cut your electricity use, protect the environment, and reduce your electricity bills.  And what’s more, we have such faith in Brakels LED lights, they come with a 25 year performance warranty.  Buy a pack of 10 today!  Don’t Delay!

LITTLE OLD LADY:  Excuse me young man, but I bought 10 of your LEDs and 2 of them have stopped working.  I’d like them replaced under their 25 year warranty.

SALESMAN:  I’d like to help you, I really would, but it’s a 25 year performance warranty and bulbs that don’t work at all have no performance and so aren’t covered. [Read more…]

Some people are getting their knickers in a twist over whether REC solar panels are European or Asian.

I’ve had a request to clear up the question of whether REC is a European or Asian company. The confusion arises because although the company was founded in Norway and has its headquarters there, it manufactures REC solar panels in Singapore and is owned by a Chinese corporation.

I have looked into this topic exhaustively and I can state the answer to the question of whether REC is European or Asian is — Yes.

Yes — it is European or Asian. [Read more…]

Solar Panel Optimisation is an extra feature you can pay for when buying solar that optimises the power output from each panel independently. [Read more…]

Don’t let a half-cut solar installer install your half-cut (AKA split-cell) solar panels.

Silicon solar cells of the type now used for almost every residential solar installation in Australia have been around for a long time.  They are 64 years old.  This makes them the same age as nuclear power generation.  They’ve come a long way since they were first made at Bell Labs in the United States.  Originally they were only able to convert around 6% of the energy in sunlight into electrical energy but now the most efficient solar panels on the market manage 22%.

Unfortunately, the days of large improvements in efficiency have long been over.  Now we only see small incremental improvements and one of these in use that will be much more common in the future are panels that use half-cut solar cells. These panels are known as both half-cut and split-cell solar panels. [Read more…]