Winaico solar panels reviews

Winaico is a Taiwanese company making tier 1 panels with 15 year product warranties (update July 2,2020 - Winaico is now offering a free extended warranty program).  This is well above the industry standard to 10 to 12 years.  They also carry 25 year performance warranties. 

Winaico has an Australian office in Sydney.

Manufacturing Capacity

Winaico has previously advised their manufacturing capacity is 200 MW annually.

Manufacturing Locations

Winaico manufactures solar panels in the city of Hsinchu, in north-west Taiwan and also in its Chinese facilities.

While the company has manufacturing capacity in Taiwan, it seems most of the panels for the Australian market are either being produced in China or the components used in Taiwanese production come from China.

It's certainly not uncommon for panel manufacturers outside of China to use components from that country; it's just that Winaico chooses to acknowledge this. 

Winaico Performs Well At Desert Knowledge Australia Solar Centre

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 solar panels to other panels installed in a fixed position at around the same time, this certainly appears to be true.

Winaico Also Performs Wonderfully With Taiwanese VPC Tests

Voluntary Production Certification (VPC) tests are strenuous and designed to demonstrate that a panel can perform well in simulated harsh environments. The tests include damp heat, PID, thermal cycling, salt mist, and performance attenuation. Winaico put out a press release about their performance in VPC testing here.

Winaico’s Solar Panel Specs And Product Warranties

Winaico solar panels have standard 15 year product warranties that are well above the industry standard and 25 year performance warranties.  The modules currently available range in capacity from 285 to 340 watts and efficiencies of up to 19.4%. All of them are standard sized 60 cell panels.

Update July 2,2020 - Winaico is now offering a product warranty extension program that boosts the 15 years to 25 years on selected panels.

Corrosion Resistance

All Winaico solar panels are IEC 61701 certified, level 6, and are suited to installation in areas close to the sea. You can see the full certification here.

Temperature Coefficient

Winaico's current stable of product offerings have temperature coefficient of -0.38%/°C. This figures is how much their efficiency drops by for each degree increase in temperature over 25 degrees, and is comparable to most other panels available today.

LeTID Certification

Winaico has certified all of its panels to be LeTID resistant. You can read all about what LeTID is here. Suffice it to say - it's something you want to avoid. The full certification document is here.

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, as well as with Taiwanese VPC testing, suggests they will do well under Australian conditions over the long term and their 25 year product warranty is impressive.

Find out how Australians with these panels are faring in the reviews below - and if you're an owner of these modules, add your own Winaico solar panels review.