Hanwha Q-Cells solar panels review

Hanwha Q CELLS is a major manufacturer of solar panels. In Australia they are now usually just referred to as QCELLS.  In 2017 they produced 5.44 gigawatts which makes puts them among the largest half dozen manufacturers in the world.  This was in increase of 18.7% from the 4.58 gigawatts they produced in 2016.  In 2017 they were the largest supplier of solar panels in Japan. 

Their panels are tier 1 and have a 12 year product warranty.  Hanwha Q CELLS has an Australian office in North Sydney, their panels are salt mist corrosion resistant and so are suitable for installation on homes anywhere in Australia.

Company History

Hanwha Group started in South Korea as Hanwha Explosives Inc. in 1952 and rapidly exploded into a massive international conglomeration. They acquired the German company Q Cells and its solar panel manufacturing capacity in Germany and Malaysia when it became insolvent in 2012. They also acquired Solarfun, which was a Chinese panel manufacturer. Not wanting to be mistaken for a bunch of clowns, they changed the name of Solarfun to Hanwha Solar One.

In February 2015 they squished the two companies together to create Hanwha Q CELLS.

Manufacturing Locations

Hanwha Q CELLS produces panels in Malaysia, China, and Korea. They used to have a production line in Germany, but they shipped the plant equipment to Malaysia in 2012, so Hanwha Q CELLS does not produce any German made panels.

They Do Some Thinking In Germany

Hanwha Q CELLS describes their Q CELLS panels as “Engineered in Germany”. While they no longer manufacture panels in that country, their headquarters for research and development are in Germany and I have been told they have over 200 experts there working to improve the design and production of solar panels.

Hanwha Q CELLS also have 3 other research and development centers around the world. If you are wondering where those centers are located, I will quote the Chairman and CEO of Hanwha Q CELLS, Seong Woo Nam. On the promotion of their new Chief Technology Officer (CTO) in July 2016, he said:

"We're very excited to have Dr. Daniel Jeong as our new CTO, who has demonstrated an outstanding leadership in integrating our global R&D teams located in Germany, Malaysia, Korea and China following the merger between former Hanwha Q CELLS and Hanwha SolarOne in early 2015.”

Today Hanwha QCELLS is putting less empathsis on their “Engineered in Germany” slogan and the Australian QCELLS website now clearly lists all 4 countries they perform research in.  It makes me feel proud of humanity to see people of different nations working together to create the renewable energy technology needed to protect the environment.

Hanwha Q Cells’ Two Brands - Hanwha Solar & Q CELLS

While Hanwha Solar One and Q Cells are now a single company, they used to sell solar panels under both the Hanwha Solar and Q CELLS names in Australia.  But now they appear to only sell under the name QCELLS.

QCELLS Panels

As of August 2018 QCELLS sells three series of panels in Australia.  Currently they all have 12 year product warranties and 25 year performance warranties.

Q.POWER-G5:  According to the datasheet QCELLS provides these panels range in capacity from 260 to 280 watts and their efficiency is from 15.% to 17.1%.  However, the QCELLS site says their capacity is from 270 to 280 watts, so it is possible the 260 and 265 watt versions of these panels aren't available in Australia.  While the performance warranty is less important than the product warranty, their performance warranty promises they will have 83% of their original capacity after 25 years which is better than the average solar panel performance warranty.

Q.PEAK-G4:  According to the QCELLS Australian site these panels range from 305 to 310 watts in capacity with efficiencies of 18% and 18.3% respectively.  However, the datasheet downloaded from the same site says they range from 290 to 305 watts.  Their performance warranty is above average and promises they will have at least 83.6% of their original capacity after 25 years

Q.PEAK DUO-G5:  The datasheet downloadable from the QCELLS site gives their capacity as 315 to 330 watts but the site itself says they are from 320 to 330 watts.  Their efficiency is high with that of the 330 watt panel being 19.6%.  The performance warranty is considerably better than average and promises they will have 85% of their original capacity after 25 years.

Warranty claim procedure for orphaned customers

If you need to make a warranty claim on your Qcell panels, but your original installer has gone out of business, the responsibility falls to Qcells to handle your claim. They can be contacted on 02 9016 3033, and have advised that they have an established warranty support network to assist with claims. Their warranty terms cover labor costs for replacement of panels under warranty.

A Cost Effective Reliable Panel

The QCELLS 12 year product warranty is better than 10 years many panels currently sold in Australia have.  While the performance warranty is less important, it is above average.  In my opinion they are high quality reliable panels and I have no problem recommending them.