Opal Solar solar panels review

Opal Solar Panels

Opal is a popular brand of solar panel in Australia. They are manufactured in China and supplied by the Australian company Solarjuice. They come with a 10 year product warranty and have a 25 year performance warranty.

Technically they are not tier one panels, but they are almost certainly tier one panels in Australian clothing. That is, they are quality panels produced by the Chinese tier one manufacturer, Astroenergy, and rebranded as Opal panels.

Because Solarjuice is the importer of Opal panels, they are responsible for the warranty that is offered and not Astroenergy. As far as Australian households are concerned, the buck stops with Solarjuice.

The Solarjuice Company

Solarjuice is a large Australian solar hardware distributor that was founded in 2009. They supply solar panels, inverters, LG Chem Resu battery systems, and other equipment to solar installers. Their head office is in Wetherill Park in Sydney.

In 2015 the Chinese company SPI purchased 80% of Solarjuice.

So Why Not Just Buy Astroenergy Panels?

If they are produced by Astroenergy and appear to be of similar quality to their other panels, then why not just buy Astroenergy panels? Well, it basically comes down to who you would prefer to be on the hook for the warranty. A Chinese owned company that’s all the way off in China or a Chinese owned company based in Australia that, so far, has demonstrated a commitment to providing customer service.

Solarjuice Is A Little Confused Over What Tier One Means

One their website, Solarjuice states:

“OPAL Solar is a premium Tier 1 product on the basis of the local support, independent quality control, independent factory acceptance testing and technical support in Australia.”

Well, that’s nice, but that’s not actually what determines if a panel is tier one. It is determined by whether or not large banks regard a brand of panels as being reliable enough to lend money to large projects that use them. If Solarjuice wants to convince me they’re tier one they should include some financial information.

Opal Panel Details

The datasheet for Opal solar panels can be downloaded here.

Opal Panel Prices Are Competitive

Currently in May 2017 Opal panels are selling a cost per watt that is the same as those of Jinko Solar, which is usually the price leader for tier one panels. But Opal has the advantage of having a product warranty backed by a company based in Australia rather than one backed by a company based in China.

Of course, just which company is most likely to still be around in 10 years time is something you’ll have to decide for yourself. I suspect they’ll both be around. But sometimes companies I think will exist for decades crash and burn and not even people who are paid large amounts of money to do nothing but check company finances always spot these things in time.

Warranty procedure for orphaned Opal customers

If you have purchased Opal Solar panels from a solar installer who has since gone out of business, the responsibility for warranty claims shifts to Solar Juice, who are the importer. Their customer service line in Australia is 02 9725 1111. Solar Juice have advised that they will walk customers through the warranty claim procedure, and that labor costs involved with panel replacement are not covered under warranty.

My Recommendation

Opal panels are produced by the tier one manufacturer Astroenergy and I regard them to be as reliable as any of their other panels. For this reason I would have no problem installing them on my roof. If you would prefer the manufacturer’s warranty to be backed by an Australian based company rather than an overseas one, then Opal panels should be an excellent choice for you.