{"id":81307,"date":"2024-02-02T08:14:10","date_gmt":"2024-02-01T22:44:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=81307"},"modified":"2024-02-02T08:14:10","modified_gmt":"2024-02-01T22:44:10","slug":"trina-solar-warranty-issues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/trina-solar-warranty-issues\/","title":{"rendered":"Eclipsing Trust: Trina Solar’s Ongoing Warranty Worries"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Trina<\/p>\n

In the competitive solar panel market, Trina Solar stands out as a brand synonymous with reliability and value. They’ve built a reputation on promises of quality and durability, making them a trusted choice for Aussie homeowners. However, a recent chat with a fellow installer reveals a stark reality that may leave you questioning their reputation; and us questioning their place on the SolarQuotes recommended panel chart.<\/p>\n

Water And Electricity Never Mix<\/strong><\/p>\n

Water ingress is a common failure mode across various solar panel brands, not sparing even the pricier ones. Earth leakage faults often result from water seeping into panel edges.<\/p>\n

When they’re manufactured, the cells, busbars, internal panel wiring are all encapsulated between sheets of EVA, (Ethylene-vinyl acetate)<\/a>\u00a0 together with mylar film on the rear, and glass on the front. Using a good deal of pressure and heat, the process causes the EVA to crosslink, and this melding seals all the electrical components into a really durable package, mostly.<\/p>\n

However, issues arise when panels are installed at very low angles, allowing water to accumulate and potentially cause damage. This underscores the importance of both proper installation and a solid warranty.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Trina Warranty Gone Wrong<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A recent warranty claim involved 14 x Trina Solar Panels<\/a> (TSM-200DC01A 200 watt solar modules).<\/p>\n

Trina approved the claim, but with a surprising twist \u2013 applying their “updated” warranty standards meant replacing just 1,568 watts for a system originally rated at 2,800 watts, a stark contrast to what one might expect from their 12\/25-year warranty.<\/p>\n

\u201c Dear customer, our warranty standard has updated. as modules are exceed product warranty, we will use remaining warranty to make solution. the remaining warranty period is 25-11=14 years. the total power we use to make the replacement is 2800*14\/25= 1568W \u201c
\n<\/i><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"multimeter

Low resistance to earth shows this one is toast.<\/p><\/div>\n

Warranty vs. Reality<\/h2>\n

Trina Solar documentation section b) (i)<\/a> offered a 12-year product warranty and a 25-year warranty on yield for these modules.<\/p>\n

for P-type Mono PERC Products (as defined in Sec. 1) b) (i), (ii)): 2.5% in the first year; from the 2nd year<\/em>
\nto the 25th year, the average annual power decline will be no more than 0.6%; by the end of the 25th year,<\/em>
\nthe actual power output will be no less than 83.1%<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

2800 \u00f7 100 x 83.1 = 2327w or roughly 19 watts per year degradation. It seems promising until the warranty claim reveals a pro-rata nonsense is applied. Trina are a kilowatt short on their offer. At 11 years I’d expect 92% not 56%<\/p>\n

A 10-year warranty to ensure panels won’t fall apart is pretty standard across the industry, but no coverage for water damage afterward, when there is supposed to be a guarantee for electrical yield? It’s a puzzling situation but the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) text is there in the document on page 10.<\/a> In my opinion, they appear to be ignoring it.<\/p>\n

\"multimeter\"

3 M\u2126 isn’t enough<\/p><\/div>\n

The Compliance Conundrum<\/h2>\n

Trina Solar offered 6 replacement panels, larger, later model (but frankly vintage) 265 watt units with different electrical specifications obviously. This poses some practical problems which soon snowball into binning everything and starting again, because if the end user wants to replace the full 2.8kW array, there needs to be 1.21kW made up with a different type of panel.<\/p>\n