TCL - Solar Panel Reviews

About TCL

Company Info

The multibillion dollar main business of TCL is producing silicon wafers for other solar manufacturers. But a portion are used to make TCL panels through a joint venture with Huansheng Photovoltaic (Jiangsu) Co, Ltd.. If you want to find TCL panels on the CEC approved list, they're under that company's name.

TCL started in 1981 as TKK, making audio cassettes. In 1985, they changed their name to Telephone Communications Limited. While this has nothing to do with solar, to be fair, there wasn't a lot of solar back then. TCL marketing sometimes suggests their name stands for "The Creative Life", but, nah, it's telephones.

TCL owns over 50% of the US headquartered solar panel manufacturer, SunPower. But these panels don't carry the TCL brand.

No Australian Office

TCL doesn't have an Australian office. This makes whoever imported the panels responsible for the manufacturer's warranties. It also makes keeping a record of the importer important. While TCL is a giant company that will probably be around long term, this won't help if the company that imported the panels disappears. 

The Warranties Are Rubbish

Most TCL panels sold in Australia have a 25 year product warranty that covers defects. But check it is 25 years because some of their panels only have 15. They also come with a 30 year product warranty that covers declines in output. 

Unfortunately, the warranty terms are rubbish. This is common for low cost solar panels, but still isn't a good thing. According to the product warranty, if a panel fails, TCL can decide to only reimburse a portion of the panel's price, based on the market price of an equivalent panel at the time it fails and how many years of warranty remain. The performance warranty says they can compensate for a loss of output by sending you additional panels to make up for it. Because it's not possible to make them hover in the air next to your existing panels, this generally isn't a good solution. 

Fortunately, you are protected by Australian Consumer Guarantees that apply no matter what the warranty says. But it's always better if the warranty isn't rubbish, because that means you probably won't have to fight for your consumer rights.

Low Cost Basic Panels

TCL panels appear reliable and, as far as I know, there's nothing wrong with them. But nothing stands out either. For example, they only have standard hail resistance designed to withstand 25mm hail. This is enough to survive normal hail, but it wouldn't be my first choice in many locations. Generally, I'd recommend spending a little extra for something a little better.