Are Munchen Panels German or Chinese or Both?
Recently I’ve been getting a lot of emails along the lines of:
Hey Finn, Have you ever heard of Munchen Solar Panels? Are they any good? I really want “German Engineered” Panels and these look better than any of that Chinese engineered rubbish!
Well, the short answer is this: “Munchen Solar? Never heard of them. (and btw there are some great Chinese panels out there..)”
But after the quadzillionth email asking the same thing, I thought I’d do some digging to try and discover why there is a sudden spike in interest for these I’ve-never-heard-of-them-before German sounding solar panels.
The first thing I discovered was that there are some jolly cheap solar systems being advertised with these panels in them.
Achtung! Achtung!
Then I discovered the Munchen Solar website. Funnily enough, the design of the site is more German than Oktoberfest!
Ja – Das Ist Richtig!
Now “where are these solar panels made?”, I asked myself. But try as I might, the website refuses to tell me!
So I click on their Facebook link. They have all of 7 friends. (Some may say that’s pretty good for a German! 😉 )
So I Google the German street address on their “contact us” page. One of the top results is for
浙江启鑫新能源科技股份有限公司 Ningbo Qixin Solar Electrical Appliance Co., Ltd
Achtung, Achtung!
Could “Munchen Solar” and “Ningbo Qixin Solar Electrical Appliance Co., Ltd” be one and the same company?
Why do they share an office in Deutschland?
How German are Munchen Solar Panels really? Where did they come from, and how long will they be around?
I honestly don’t know.
All I ask is this. Solar companies: if you are going to introduce a new panel brand into Australia, then please put as much effort in to putting useful information on your website as you do making the logos look German. Telling us the factories that your panels are made in would be a start. Your Australian office address and contact people would be good too. Perhaps you could also publish the certificates that prove you have met all the international standards, and provide some third party testing that verifies the specs on your data sheets. And what does “German Inspiration” actually mean? How many German blokes/ladies are on the payroll? And how many of those have engineering degrees? And finally, don’t be ashamed of any links you may have with China!
Then Aussie consumers can judge for themselves if they will do you the honour of buying your panels.
If anyone from Munchen Solar is reading this, then after you’ve finished the Bratwurst, perhaps you could let us know some of these details in the comments. Cheers.
About Finn Peacock
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I think you nailed it with Munchen, Finn. I worked in China on a regular basis for ten years or so, and I can confirm that the place is “flooded” with German engineers. VW got in first, before the bamboo curtain fell and China joined the world of international trade. I stayed at Chinese hotels mostly, not having a problem with the language, and found that they always sat me at a table with other people who looked like me. Inevitably, it was a German, wondering what a bloody Aussie was doing in his patch. If panels are made in a facility co-managed by a German firm, as most are, then the quality standards are pretty good. I have 56 of them on my shed roof, and the system appears to be a quality item.
Good-on-ya, Colin !
“They have all of 7 friends. (Some may say that’s pretty good for a German!)”
Finn, don’t be an A-hole.
Perhaps, you haven’t heard, : good for a German ?” WW2 finished in 1945, grow up, boy
How can you trust a company that lacks the ethics to be honest in their market communications.
Just about everything comes out of the same backroom in Downtown Peking these days.
So concentrate on the warranty rather than the geography.
…and that includes my not-real-cheap ‘Victron’ battery charger from ye reputable olde Dutch company whose products are used by NATO yet!
Turns out the software comes off a conveyor belt in Silicon Valley, is sent to China for the hardware and assembly, and then shipped to Holland to be painted blue and have the company logo embossed.
Moreover, while it does come with a ‘Lifetime Guarantee’, there’s only ONE rep. this side of Istanbul, and she’s impossible to catch up with because she’s either away sailing or pissed.
China, despite being miles away and being inscrutable, looks like a better option all the time.
My one warranty issue was handled extremely efficiently and courteously, with a customer-service performance I’d rate as A+++ (and I’m neither Chinese nor an employee of the company.)
Now if only we could get them to change their barbaric brutalities regarding the handling and welfare of animals…….
It may be of benefit to tell solar companies that saying it’s German made to someone in the industry is hilarious ie Trione Energy. He started by telling me they were German made then when I challenged him said “some parts” were made in Germany then upon further challenging said I knew too much for a consumer. Disgusting behaviour trying to mislead people based on people’s ignorance, no wonder we all get a bad name because of some. Any questions call me on 0415 419 121.
I have these wonderfull solar panels . they did not last a winter without developing a seal problem , sure they were replaced , but the warrantee did not start again it carried on from the original date … would you not know it the same fault came again in a heavy downpour…. , what out of warrantee stated Green Engineering , and one finds out they dont sell this any more ..
how many other person are in the same boat with these suspect panels. , its a on going problem I think next winter the remaining are going to develope this great fault and a copout to the suppliers …could be a dab production dumped on our market
WHO esle has this one ?????????