Jinko Solar review

Jinko Solar - Solar Panel Reviews

4.9

Based on 347 ratings

Finn's Jinko Solar Panels Review & Verdict

Finn Peacock has been a Chartered Electrical Engineer since 1998, and is ex-CSIRO

Jinko Solar panels are good quality, well-priced panels from one of the largest manufacturers on the planet. Importantly for Australians, Jinko have a strong Australian presence with a well-staffed local office and good Australian support.

Jinko is a big company with solid R&D (research & development) resources. Their latest "Tiger" panels are some of the most efficient available with efficiencies up to 22.53% - anything over 21% is a world class.

When I surveyed Australian installers in 2021, 2022 and 2023, they rated Jinko as the second best budget panels on the market.

But be careful: because Jinko panels are relatively low cost, they can sometimes be offered by retailers who are operating towards the bottom of the market. A good solar power system needs a lot more than a good brand of solar panels. A high quality installation is crucial.

Jinko solar panels, well installed, should offer decades of cheap energy. Jinko panels, badly installed, will not.

Jinko Solar Panels: Pros & Cons

  • Good quality control - Jinko own the entire production process from making the silicon ingots right through to assembling the panels.
  • High efficiency - Jinko technology offers some of the highest efficiencies of any manufacturer, with some models over 22% efficient.
  • Billion dollar company
  • Strong Australian presence
  • Strong brand that the company will want to protect
  • Well-priced
  • Sometimes used by shonky solar retailers

About Jinko Solar

Jinko Solar is a Chinese company producing "tier 1" panels. The company has a physical Australian office in Sydney, offering local support if you have a problem - and that's a very good thing. But you shouldn't need to use it as generally speaking Jinko solar panels have proven to be a cost effective combination of reliability and price. The company also has dedicated warehouse facilities in Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

Company History In Brief

Jinko was founded as a company in 2006. I don't think they actually made anything that year, but I have to presume they were thinking really hard about making stuff. Other highlights from the company's early days were the production of ingots (big solid lumps of silicon) in 2007, slicing ingots into wafers in 2008, using those wafers to make cells and solar panels in 2009, then a stock market listing in 2010.

Since that time, the company has grown at a ferocious rate.

But a black mark in the company's history occurred in 2011, when hundreds of people protesting fish killed by a chemical spill in a nearby river stormed the Jinko factory in Haining City. Company cars were overturned, offices were trashed, and riot police were called in to stop the toxic avengers.

On a related note, an organisation called the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, or SVTC, used to produce an annual report ranking solar panel manufacturers on environmental and social responsibility.

In 2014 Jinko was given a score of 7 out of 100. Then in 2015, the company came 14th out of 40 companies surveyed, with a score of 53 out of 100. This was not a great result, but it was a huge improvement. But in 2018-19, the company was ranked no.1 by SVTC, with a perfect score of 100. SVTC doesn't appear to have published scorecards since that year.

So, Jinko Solar came a long way in a short time - and if they have a factory in your town I am sure they are far less likely to kill all the fish in the local river than they used to. Walking the solar talk, JinkoSolar has also pledged to power its own operations with 100% renewable electricity by 2025.

Manufacturing Locations And Capacity

As at mid-2023, Jinko had a total of 14 production bases in China, the United States, Malaysia and Vietnam..

By Q4, 2022, the company's production capacity of monocrystalline silicon wafers, cells and modules reached 65GW, 55GW and 70GW respectively. The company is shooting for annual production capacity for mono wafer, solar cells and solar modules to hit 75 GW, 75 GW and 90 GW, respectively, by the end of 2023.

By the end of Q1,2023, cumulative shipments of Jinko Solar modules had exceeded 150GW. 

While a few years back (2019) JinkoSolar was ranked the number one manufacturer in terms of panel shipment volume, in 2021 it was at number 4 according to solar PV market intelligence and research firm PV InfoLink, after achieving number 2 in 2020. However, in the first half of 2022, Jinko had climbed back to the top.

Jinko's workforce had remained fairly constant at around 15,000 for several years while its production capacity had doubled. That's the way things go these days thanks to automation and robotics. But it appears to have added a bunch more staff in recent years, with a couple of estimates putting the number of employees at more than 24,000, and one at more than 31,000.

General JinkoSolar Panel Info

Among the Jinko solar panels currently sold in Australia are the Tiger (Neo and Pro) product lines available in various wattages up to 480W and efficiencies ranging up to 22.53%.

The higher the panel efficiency, the less roof space a system will take up. For most installations this is not a problem, but some people have a limited amount of room to install solar panels. Unlike some other manufacturers, the efficiencies Jinko gives for their panels are accurate and they don't cheat by not including the panel's frame in the efficiency calculation. That is appreciated.

Like many manufacturers these days, Jinko is focusing on producing panels with "half-cut cells"; which offer benefits including better partial shade tolerance.

All the panels they currently ship to Australia are salt mist corrosion resistant and suitable for installation in any location. Jinko panels available in Australia generally carry a 25 year product warranty these days.

Warranty Procedure For Orphaned Jinko Customers

If you have purchased Jinko panels from a solar installer who has since gone out of business, the responsibility for warranty claims shifts to JinkoSolar. Their customer service line in Australia is 1300 326 182 - affected customers should contact this line for warranty assistance.

Jinko have advised that customers will be asked to send through photos and serial numbers of affected panels to an email address that they will provide, and they will then arrange for the replacement of the panels. If required, Jinko will be able to recommend installers to carry out the work if a customer is unable to organise one themselves. They will also reimburse customers for labour costs involved with replacing the solar panels - $200 for the first panel, and $15 for each additional module.

SolarQuotes Installers' Choice Awards Winner

Since 2021 SolarQuotes has had an Installers' Choice Award.  From 2021 through 2024 Jinko panels took second place for the "Every Dollar Counts" category, indicating they were a well thought of budget panels.  In the 2025 SolarQuotes Installers' Choice Awards we we made it much simpler and just asked installers which panels they'd install on their own roofs.  Despite having higher priced competition, Jinko Solar took third place.

Jinko Solar Panels Are A Cost Effective Choice

Jinko Solar panels offer a combination of good reliability and competitive pricing that can make them a very cost effective choice for home solar installations in Australia.

Check out the reviews below from Australians who have these modules on their rooftops, and add your own JinkoSolar panels review if you're an owner of any of their PV products.

Jinko Solar has 8 solar panels in our database

Filter by:

Type of solar panel 
Wattage 
Panel Efficiency 
Approx. Cost/Watt 
Model number
Series
Wattage
Panel efficiency (%)
Approx Cost per Watt AUD Retail incl GST
Approx cost per panel AUD Retail incl GST
Panel technology
Country of manufacture
JKM410N-54HL4
Tiger Neo (410-430W)
410 W
21.00%
$0.36
$150
Monocrystalline
China
JKM415N-54HL4
Tiger Neo (410-430W)
415 W
21.25%
$0.36
$150
Monocrystalline
China
JKM420N-54HL4
Tiger Neo (410-430W)
420 W
21.51%
$0.36
$150
Monocrystalline
China
JKM425N-54HL4
Tiger Neo (410-430W)
425 W
21.76%
$0.36
$150
Monocrystalline
China
JKM430N-54HL4
Tiger Neo (410-430W)
430 W
22.02%
$0.36
$150
Monocrystalline
China
JKM475N-60HL4
Tiger Neo (475W)
475 W
22.01%
$0.28
$135
Monocrystalline
China
JKM440N-54HL4-V
Tiger Neo (440W)
440 W
22.53%
$0.29
$125
Monocrystalline
China
JKM440N-54HL4R-BDV
Tiger Neo BOLD
440 W
22.53%
$0.31
$134
Monocrystalline
China

 

Jinko Solar Reviews (347)

Show Most Relevant reviews from All time

  • 5 star 321
  • 4 star 21
  • 3 star 4
  • 2 star 0
  • 1 star 1

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The large size of 510kW allows fewer panels to be installed but provide good absorption. It allows space for future expansion. The all black look is pleasing to the eye.
My previous panels were also from Jinko and the lasted with no problems. I expect these new ones to perform similarly.

Inverter Brand

iStore

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

I’ve been using Jinko solar panels for several months, and they’ve been nothing short of exceptional. They handle harsh weather conditions effortlessly, maintaining efficiency even on cloudy days. I’m thrilled with how reliable and sturdy they are. Definitely a solid choice for long-term solar energy solutions

Inverter Brand

Goodwe

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

6kW

Installed By

Maybe a bit early to tell as the solar system was installed in the beginning of winter but we have seen over 80% to 100% utilization on few sunny days. Seems to be working as they should.

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Maybe a bit early to tell as it has been installed from the start of the winter but we have seen great 80% to 100% utilisation from the panels. No issues so far.

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Added an additional 13 Jinko 440w panels on the west facing roof to complement 16 existing 415w north facing panels

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

5kW

Installed By

Installed at the worst time of the year, on a 10° pitch with half South-facing. Data says this reduces capacity by 2kW to 14 kW. The system seems to be exceeding expectations.

Inverter Brand

Sigenergy

System Cost

$12,500 to $15,000

System Size

15kW

Installed By

Have been using Jinko Panels since 2019 install, so far all good

Inverter Brand

Growatt

System Cost

$2,000 to $4,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

JKM475N-60HL4-V - 14 x 475W Jinko Tiger Neo panels

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

18 × 440W Jinko Solar Tiger Neo · JKM440N-54HL4R-B

System Size

8kW

Installed By

37 panels installed 2018. We bought a house with a small power station on the roof which the previous owner used to crypto-mine! Apparently the living room was once filled with servers.

Thus, we had to do something with all the electrons we were sending the Energy Australia for next to nothing. Battery and EV was the plan.

Side note - sadly, the 2018 installers crammed the panels on to the roof so tightly, it made bird-netting very hard to retro-fit. So we have dozens of nesting pigeons sharing the vibe.

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

20kW

Installed By

Our 33 panels are producing some power from before sunrise till after sunset. By 8am the will be fully meeting our household load and be charging the battery. I had though these things only worked in bright sunshine!

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

15kW

Installed By

Tom and Michael were nice enough to upgrade us to the black racking and panels which are a nice touch. So far they haven't skipped a beat. Bring on the sunny days.

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Cost

$8,000 to $10,000

System Size

13kW

Installed By

An incentive was offered by Regen Power for this review. Learn more here.

Performing very well. Purchased the Jinko Tiger 475W pannels (14 in total) per house. We Did the 2 houses on our block.

Inverter Brand

Goodwe

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Inverter Brand

Sigenergy

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

15kW

Installed By

Inverter Brand

Sigenergy

System Cost

$15,000 to $20,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

The black panels look great on the black colorbond roof. The black aluminum tracks to go with them look great. So far so good.

Inverter Brand

Goodwe

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

6kW

Installed By

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

13kW

Installed By

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

20kW

Installed By

An incentive was offered by Regen Power for this review. Learn more here.

Inverter Brand

Goodwe

System Cost

$2,000 to $4,000

System Size

3.3kW

Installed By

Inverter Brand

Goodwe

System Cost

$2,000 to $4,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

An incentive was offered by Regen Power for this review. Learn more here.

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

13kW

Installed By

An incentive was offered by Regen Power for this review. Learn more here.

Inverter Brand

iStore

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

5kW

Installed By

An incentive was offered by Regen Power for this review. Learn more here.

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

5kW

Installed By

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

$15,000 to $20,000

System Size

20kW

Installed By

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

9kW

Installed By

Very good so far.

Inverter Brand

Goodwe

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

8kW

Installed By

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

more than 30kW

Installed By

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

$8,000 to $10,000

System Size

9kW

Installed By

Inverter Brand

Sigenergy

System Cost

$12,500 to $15,000

System Size

13kW

Installed By

Inverter Brand

Sigenergy

System Cost

$15,000 to $20,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

Have never had any issues on our previous installation so decided to use again on new property

Inverter Brand

iStore

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

7kW

Installed By

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

20kW

Installed By

An incentive was offered by PSW Energy Perth Solar Warehouse for this review. Learn more here.

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

Inverter Brand

Goodwe

System Cost

$2,000 to $4,000

System Size

9kW

Installed By

With the amount of panels that I have, I’m able to harness energy for a longer time and larger capacity,

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

15kW

Installed By

Inverter Brand

Anker Solix

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

20kW

Installed By

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Inverter Brand

Sigenergy

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

7kW

Installed By

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

$8,000 to $10,000

System Size

8kW

Installed By

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

10kW

Installed By

Inverter Brand

Goodwe

System Cost

$2,000 to $4,000

System Size

4kW

Installed By

Inverter Brand

Goodwe

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

An incentive was offered by PSW Energy Perth Solar Warehouse for this review. Learn more here.

Inverter Brand

Sigenergy

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

We are fortunate to have a large single panel roof which has fairly consistent production all year round. The panels have been consistent and I would thoroughly recommend them.

Inverter Brand

Goodwe

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

more than 30kW

Installed By

An incentive was offered by Freedom Electrical and Energy Solutions Pty Ltd for this review. Learn more here.

Seems to be doing the job its supposed to.

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

6kW

Installed By

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Inverter Brand

SolarEdge

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

13kW

Installed By

Looks good all in black

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

They look good, and produce electricity ?

Inverter Brand

Goodwe

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

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