Qcells - Solar Panel Reviews
Finn's Qcells Panels Review & Verdict
Finn Peacock has been a Chartered Electrical Engineer since 1998, and is ex-CSIRO
Qcells are great solar panels. Good performance, great quality, high energy density, and sensible physical sizes that make installers' lives safer and easier. They are priced in the mid to upper mid-range. They are well supported in Australia.
I gotta say their marketing is terrible though. They change their logo more often than I change my boxers, and if you go to their website looking for panel specs, the only links you get are: GET INSPIRED, GET STARTED, GET SUPPORT, STAY IN THE LOOP. What the hell?
So if you want technical info on the panels, avoid the Qcells (or is it q.cells or q-cells?) site and look at our solar panel comparison table with links to all the spec sheets and warranty documents for every Qcells panel available in Australia.
Qcells Panels: Pros & Cons
- Tier 1 manufacturer.
- Company experience with solar PV, inverters & batteries.
- Manufactured and supplied in-house.
- Strong panel frames, broad clamp zones, and flexible mounting options.
- Up to 25-year product and linear performance warranty.
- Variety of sizes, including easier-to-handle widths (1879 × 1045 × 32mm).
- Reasonably priced for respected products.
- Local support with local website.
- Consistently good star ratings based on reviews submitted to Solar Quotes.
- German-engineered, Korean-owned, and manufactured in China, Malaysia, and South Korea.
- Salt mist corrosion resistant.
- Larger models are now 1000 mm or wider, making some difficult to handle (1722 × 1134 × 30 mm).
- All black frames, which run hotter.
About Qcells
Qcells is a major producer of solar panels and is considered a "tier 1" manufacturer. The company's modules are accompaned by 20 to 25 years product warranty, depending on the model. Qcells solar panels are salt mist corrosion resistant and are suitable for installation on homes anywhere in Australia.
Qcells has an Australian office in North Sydney.
Company History
Qcells is a Hanwha Group company. 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, Hanwha Group squished the two companies together to create Hanwha Q CELLS.
Since then, the company has rebranded a few times; tinkering with logos, hyphens and capitalisation in its name. This brings us to today's "Qcells".
Manufacturing Locations
Qcells solar panels are manufactured in the USA, Malaysia, China, and South Korea, but the company does not produce any German made panels.
They describe their 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 in the past they have over 200 experts there working to improve the design and production of solar panels.
Qcells also have 3 other research and development centers around the world - in Malaysia, South Korea and China.
Qcells currently has 10GW of cell and 12.4GW of solar panel production capacity. But in early 2023, the company announced a huge investment in the U.S. state of Georgia. 3.3 gigawatts each of solar ingots, wafers, cells and finished panels will be manufactured at a new facility annually, and an additional 2 GW of panels will be manufactured at an existing facility.
But Australians shouldn't expect to get U.S. made panels here - they'll be for the US market.
Qcells Panels
Qcells offers several different product lines in Australia, currently the Q.MAXX, Q.PEAK DUO and Q.BOOST range. Qcells solar panel specifications and estimated pricing can be found in our solar panel comparison table.
Warranty Claim Procedure For Orphaned Customers
If you need to make a warranty claim on your Qcells panels but your original installer has gone out of business, the responsibility falls to Qcells to handle your claim. The company can be contacted on 02 9016 3033, and have advised 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 20 - 25 year product warranty is more generous than the 12 years some panels currently sold in Australia still have, although warranties this short are becoming a rarity. 25 year product warranties used to be the exclusive realm of the most expensive brands, but we're increasingly seeing other manufacturers also implement them.
In my opinion Qcells manufactures high quality reliable panels and I have no problem recommending them. And it seems many Australian installers feel the same way. In the 2023 SolarQuotes Installers' Choice Awards, Qcells took out out equal 3rd place for the best solar panels in 2023 overall and 3rd place for best value panels.
See what other Australians think of Qcells solar panels in the reviews below. And if you own these modules, I encourage you to add your own review.
Qcells has 12 solar panels in our database
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Qcells Reviews (1259)
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- 5 star 1008
- 4 star 230
- 3 star 15
- 2 star 4
- 1 star 2
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16 February 2023
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$8,000 to $10,000
System Size
8kW
Installed By
01 March 2022
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$15,000 to $20,000
System Size
6kW
Installed By
01 November 2021
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$6,000 to $8,000
System Size
4kW
Installed By
27 March 2021
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$10,000 to $12,500
System Size
9kW
Installed By
29 April 2020
Panel's Orientation Pitch
13 270 20
13 310 20
13 90 20 total out put 13 months =19.11 MWh
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$10,000 to $15,000
System Size
More than 6kW
Installed By
27 February 2023
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$12,500 to $15,000
System Size
9kW
Installed By
04 September 2022
At this time all is performing excellently.
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$6,000 to $8,000
System Size
6.6kW
Installed By
24 August 2022
So far all good though.
It is winter now, so input value a bit low. Still it runs most daylight hours most or all of our electrical requirements. After changing some household routines from night time to day time.
The connection to the grid was relatively painless. New red tape rules had come in play since the ordering of the system, so it took altogether a bit longer then expected.
Our selected installers provided good to great service, but were not the cheapest choice. Especially not after an unexpected and considerable price hike due to overall increase for both transport and manufacturing cost of the hardware.
And the contractors installing the system were excellent.
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$6,000 to $8,000
System Size
6.6kW
Installed By
31 May 2022
Biggest gripe is not with the panels but retailers droping the Feed-in-Traffi by nearly 50% since I installed.
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$4,000 to $6,000
System Size
6.6kW
Installed By
25 May 2022
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$4,000 to $6,000
System Size
6.6kW
Installed By
02 November 2021
12 month update - Panels have lived up to expectations after nearly a year of operation
Inverter Brand
System Cost
More than $20,000
System Size
15kW
Installed By
28 October 2021
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$8,000 to $10,000
System Size
5kW
Installed By
15 October 2021
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$2,000 to $4,000
System Size
5kW
Installed By
13 October 2021
I will be using Smooth Current Electrical in the future when we purchase and install some batteries.
I have already recommended Smooth Current electrical to a number of friends
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$10,000 to $12,500
System Size
10kW
Installed By
09 August 2021
Inverter Brand
System Cost
More than $20,000
System Size
13kW
Installed By
05 August 2021
Over and above all - tenants get to ‘save’ on their electricity bill whilst we get to reap the rewards through the value it adds to the property now and in the future.
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$4,000 to $6,000
System Size
6.6kW
Installed By
25 June 2021
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$10,000 to $12,500
System Size
8kW
Installed By
24 June 2021
- 9 facing North unshaded
- 3 facing North partly shaded
- 5 facing East partly shaded
Luckily the roof angle is about 27 degrees - ideal for Brisbane.
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$8,000 to $10,000
System Size
6kW
Installed By
16 June 2021
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$6,000 to $8,000
System Size
5kW
Installed By
13 June 2021
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$8,000 to $10,000
System Size
9kW
Installed By
04 May 2021
I also tried to avoid panels produced in the PRC, given there is a 25 year warranty period, and who knows where the international relationship will sit between now and then.
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$6,000 to $8,000
System Size
7kW
Installed By
29 January 2021
Now it's approaching one year since we first started seeking out solar info - whether to upgrade or replace our old, small set up which included a dead CMS inverter. This site put us onto 3 quality businesses who promptly provided us with very competitive options and quotes. Solareze won our business with their well informed and super helpful salesperson Peter. He came up with the best plan for our situation and was happy to provide us with quotes and brochures for all the different solar panels and inverters we were curious about.
When Rob and Dave and the boys came to install the system, they were everything you'd hope for. They arrived on time, even though they had to deal with co-vid border passes and navigate the local bridge closure and detour, talked to us about what they were going to do before they started, and completed the job before lunch. They were wonderful in every way and I recommend them without reservation.
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$12,500 to $15,000
System Size
10kW
Installed By
22 January 2021
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$6,000 to $8,000
System Size
6.6kW
Installed By
21 January 2021
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$6,000 to $8,000
System Size
6kW
Installed By
18 January 2021
The panels have stayed clean and fault free so far. No complaints really.
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$6,000 to $8,000
System Size
5kW
Installed By
08 December 2020
Now we're regularly receiving b/w 20-30 kW/h of daily feed-in - with our usage of below 5 kW/h usage (10 kW/h was the average same time last year), mostly through using the dishwasher, TV, computers, etc... in the evening.
We have 18 x QCell G5+ 330w panels (5.94 kW total) running through a Fronius 5.0-1 Inverter.
System Cost
$6,000 to $10,000
System Size
6kW
Installed By
15 November 2020
All seem functional and haven't had any issues.
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$4,000 to $6,000
System Size
6.6kW
Installed By
09 September 2020
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$12,500 to $15,000
System Size
13kW
Installed By
19 August 2020
Seems to be producing 28-29 kw on a good day in winter which is more than my daily average of 23.45 kw prior to install.
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$4,000 to $6,000
System Size
5kW
Installed By
04 August 2020
Looks doing pretty good with solar.
For a heavy rainy worst day 6.6 Kw system did 7KWh.
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$6,000 to $8,000
System Size
6.6kW
Installed By
21 July 2020
house produced 4,690.71 kwh same period
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$6,000 to $8,000
System Size
6kW
Installed By
13 July 2020
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$6,000 to $8,000
System Size
6.6kW
Installed By
12 July 2020
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$10,000 to $12,500
System Size
8kW
Installed By
11 July 2020
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$12,500 to $15,000
System Size
10kW
Installed By
22 June 2020
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$4,000 to $6,000
System Size
5kW
Installed By
13 June 2020
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$8,000 to $10,000
System Size
6.6kW
Installed By
06 April 2020
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$8,000 to $10,000
System Size
6kW
Installed By
15 January 2020
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$12,500 to $15,000
System Size
10kW
Installed By
09 January 2020
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$6,000 to $10,000
System Size
5kW
Installed By
09 December 2019
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$6,000 to $8,000
System Size
6.6kW
Installed By
04 December 2019
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$6,000 to $10,000
System Size
More than 6kW
Installed By
03 December 2019
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$6,000 to $10,000
System Size
More than 6kW
Installed By
10 November 2019
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$6,000 to $10,000
System Size
More than 6kW
Installed By
30 October 2019
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$8,000 to $10,000
System Size
6.6kW
Installed By
03 September 2019
We generate 60 to 80 Kw on a good day.
We had a $245 credit at the end of summer which has seen us through winter. To get a credit on your electricity bill every quarter is awesome and we dont have to worry anout whether to put the air con or heater on!
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$10,000 to $15,000
System Size
More than 6kW
Installed By
29 August 2019
System Cost
$6,000 to $10,000
System Size
1.5kW
Installed By
10 August 2019
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$6,000 to $8,000
System Size
6.6kW
Installed By
05 August 2019
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$6,000 to $10,000
System Size
More than 6kW
Installed By
18 November 2018
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$3,000 to $6,000
System Size
1.5kW
Installed By
15 November 2018
Our last three months we had a credit of $244.00 @ a feed in rate from Origin of 15 Cents per KW.
Inverter Brand
System Cost
$3,000 to $6,000
System Size
5kW
Installed By
After 1 year of use, we have seen the benefits of our solar system and sized it correctly. Our quarterly bills have been in the single digits and that’s with a fair bit of rain/cloudy days.
The QCells panels quite regularly push our inverter to its max 8.28kw and we are comfortable with putting the A/C on, washing machine and dish washer, knowing that we are consuming our own power with a reasonable amount going back to the grid.