Winaico solar panels review

Winaico

Winaico is a Taiwanese manufacturer of tier one panels with 15 year product warranties.  This is well above the industry standard to 10 to 12 years.  They also carry 25 year performance warranties. 

The datasheets for Winaico panels do not state they are corrosion resistant, but I have seen corrosion resistance certification for their WST250P6 panels and I think it is likely their other panels are also corrosion resistant.  Panels without certification for corrosion resistance are not suitable for installation within 200m of the sea or anywhere they will regularly be exposed to sea spray.

Winaico has an Australian office in Sydney.

Manufacturing Capacity

Winaico is a small manufacturer and this appears to make them shy, as they don’t mention their production capacity on their website. Fortunately, I have a contact in Taiwan and I sent him a detailed email requesting information on Winaico. His reply in full was, “Why are you asking me these questions? I work for Microsoft. I don’t know anything about solar power! Are you sure a drop bear hasn’t eaten your brains?” So, no luck there.

As far as I can tell they have at least 150 megawatts of production capacity, but probably not more than 300 megawatts as of the end of 2016. In comparison, the world’s largest producer, Jinko Solar, is estimated to have produced over 6,600 megawatts in 2016.

Manufacturing Location

Winaico manufactures solar panels in the city of Hsinchu, in north-west Taiwan. Its population is 430,000 and it is known as the windy city. Possibly on account of how typhoons like to smash into it. This probably has something to do with why Winaico designed a typhoon resistant panel.

Winaico Performs Wonderfully At Desert Knowledge Australia Solar Centre

The the Desert Knowledge Australia Solar Centre, or DKASC to its friends, has installed a range of solar panels from different manufacturers so their performance under harsh central Australian conditions can be tested. Winaco says of all the panels, theirs have deteriorated the least. And if you go to their site and compare the Winaico panels to other panels installed in a fixed position at around the same time, this certainly appears to be true.

Winaico’s Panels Have 15 Year Product Warranties

Winaico’s other series of panels have 15 year product warranties that is well above the industry standard and 25 year performance warranties.  They range from 250 to 310 watts. They can be up to 18.6% efficient. All of them are standard sized 60 cell panels

Corrosion Resistance

Because the datasheets for Winaico solar panels do not indicate they are certified as corrosion resistant I suggest checking for certification before installing them within 200m of the sea or anywhere they would be regularly exposed to salt mist.

Temperature Coefficient

The efficiency loss from heat for 4 of Winaico’s 5 series of panels is slightly worse than average, although this doesn’t appear to have hurt the panels used at the Desert Knowledge Australia Solar Center. But their WSP-M8 PERC panels have a temperature coefficient of Pmax of -0.48%. This figures is how much their efficiency drops by for each degree increase in temperature over 25 degrees and is considerably worse than the average of around -0.4%. As a result, these panels may have their overall output reduced by 1-2% in Australia compared to panels with average heat resistance.

Winaico Has Displayed a 19.5% Efficient Heterojunction Panel

In October 2016 Winaico displayed a 19.5% efficient heterojunction panel in Taiwan. What is a heterojunction panel? Well, it’s a panel with junctions that are totally hetero. It simply means it has been made in a way that boosts its efficiency and apart from that is of no practical relevance to anyone using the panel. This panel may or may not now be available in Australia.

Winaico’s Typhoon Resistant Panel

Winaico has developed a typhoon resistant panel which they also displayed in October 2016 with a 1.7 tonne weight on top of it. I’m pretty sure the weight was to show how tough it is and is not a design feature that is meant to stop it blowing away in high winds.

I am certain these panels would also be cyclone resistant, despite the fact cyclones rotate the other way. I don’t think this would cause the panel to unwind.

Warranty claim procedure for orphaned customers

If you have an issue with your Winaico panels and your original installer has gone out of business, Winaico become responsible for handling warranty claims. Their contact number is 02 8091 2771 - and they have advised that they have a network of installers that can handle the process from start to finish. Labor costs are covered under warranty - $120 for the first panel, and $60 for each panel afterwards.

My Recommendation

Winaico produces quality tier one panels and I would have no problem installing them on my roof. Their performance at the Desert Knowledge Australia Solar Centre suggests they will do well under Australian conditions and their 15 year product warranty is impressive.