SolarQuotes Trusted Panel/Inverter Brands
The following two tables have been created to provide Australian solar buyers a more in-depth understanding of how and why we have placed particular solar panel/inverter brands on our trusted solar brands charts.
The main criteria that qualifies a brand to be placed on our chart is:
- Has an Australian office for warranty support
- Has straightforward and easy-to-navigate phone/email support for warranty issues
- Has a good reputation in the industry
- Has not been flagged by the CEC for any major violations
We have researched all of the brands on our charts in detail, with their qualifications for each of the criterion listed on the tables below.
Trusted solar panel brands criteria:
---- Criteria ---- | ---- Longi ---- | ---- Phono ---- | ---- Jinko ---- | ---- Opal ---- | ---- Trina ---- | ---- Canadian ---- | ---- JA Solar ---- | ---- Seraphim ---- | ---- Suntech ---- | ---- Powerwave ---- | ---- SolarEdge ---- | ---- Qcells ---- | ---- Hyundai ---- | ---- REC ---- | ---- Winaico ---- | ---- Tindo ---- | ---- LG ---- | ---- Sunpower ---- | ---- SolarWatt ---- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australian office for warranty claims? | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅(Solar Juice) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Easily accessible via phone/email? | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅(Solar Juice) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ - by email | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Had no serious issues with the CEC? | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
What is their contact phone/email? | 02 8484 5806 | Contact here | 1300 326 182 | 02 9725 1111 | 1300 874 627 | 03 8609 1844 | [email protected] | 03 9900 6423 | 02 8188 2450 | 1800 092 778 (Tradezone) | 1800 465 567 | 02 9016 3033 | 02 9238 2283 | 03 9020 2056 | 02 8091 2771 | 1300 846 367 | 1800 042 568 | 1800 786 769 | 1300 765 928 |
Industry reputation | Good budget | Good budget | Good budget | Only quoted by select companies - Solar Juice good budget | Good budget | Good budget | Good budget | Good budget | Good budget | Good budget | Premium | Premium | Premium | Premium | Premium - rare | Rare - premium | Premium | Premium | Rare - Premium |
Notes | Opal panels are rebadged from an OEM | Rebadged Seraphim panels, backed by the Kingston Group / Tradezone | SolarEdge panels are rebadged from an OEM | ||||||||||||||||
Further information on brand/customer reviews | Here | Here | Here | Here | Here | Here | Here | Here | Here | TBD | Here | Here | Here | Here | Here | Here | Here | Here |
What about “Tier 1” panels?
“Tier 1” is not a main qualifying criteria for our trusted solar panel chart, because while “Tier 1” status is a proxy for quality, there are quite a few “Tier 1” brands that we wouldn’t personally have on our own roofs – and there are also a few non-“Tier 1” brands that we would be more than happy to have on our own roofs.
Trusted solar inverter brands criteria:
---- Criteria ---- | ---- Solis ---- | ---- Goodwe ---- | ---- Sungrow ---- | ---- Huawei ---- | ---- FIMER (ABB) ---- | ---- Delta ---- | ---- SMA ---- | ---- Fronius ---- | ---- MIL-Solar ---- | ---- SolarEdge ---- | ---- Enphase ---- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australian office for warranty claims? | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Easily accessible via phone/email? | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ - PowerUp website | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
What is their contact phone, email or website for warranty claims? | 03 8555 9516 | 03 9918 3905 | 1800 786 476 | 1800 046 639 | 1800 769 663 | 1300 335 823 | PowerUp Partners assist with warranty claim process | 03 8340 2900 | 03 9325 3455 | 1800 465 567 | 03 8669 1679 |
Had no serious issues with the CEC? | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Industry reputation | Good budget | Good budget | Good budget | Good budget/midrange | Good budget/midrange | Good midrange/premium | Premium | Premium | Premium | Premium | Premium |
Notes | Made in Australia | Optimisers | Microinverters | ||||||||
Further information on brand/Customer reviews | Here | Here | Here | Here | Here | Here | Here | Here | TBD | Here | Here |
If you have any questions, please feel free to send us an email here.