Contemplating PV installation... Which solar modules to use

At the end of the day, both brands of panels accomplish the same functionality. The two "other installers" were likely leaning toward SolarWorld modules because using them (in theory) keeps US tax credit funds in the US. Whether the upcharge of buying a US made product is worthwhile is between you and your bank account. If you can't afford the upcharge, don't let the cost difference steer you away from solar completely. Just like there are plenty of foreign automobiles on the US roads, there are plenty of Asian solar modules on American roofs.

I certainly haven't heard any issues with the Canadian Solar modules, and I have considered their products more than once to add to my existing array. The pricing of Canadian Solar modules is one thing I keep track of.

The Evergreen panels on my roof were not made in America. The two daily driver vehicles in my driveway were not made in the USA. All three of these non-US made items lower my family's dependence on foreign oil and allow my wife and I to re-invest $$$ in America in other ways.

Very satisfied with the performance of my 26 Suniva 265W panels. System rated at 6.89kw, highest production point during the first year of operation was just over 6.8kw, into the high 6.7kw with some frequency, which is about where the Aurora microinverters start to clip.

I remember laughing at Lee Iacocca grumbling about americans not buying his imports. Can't tell what's made where so don't factor it in.

Just installing 30kw on a new barn we are building on the farm and have come across a product called solar wall which turns your panels from PV into PVT which is supposed to cool your PV panels so you get more PV output and produces hot air which we will be using for grain and woodchip drying. I will let you all know how it performs.

Got 48 Canadian solar panels on my barn. They have produced exactly like they say for the past couple months.

If I could have got similar or even better performance at a CLOSE approximation on price.. I would have used US panels.

As it was.. I went with the made in China stuff. Maybe the govt could have used the subsidy dollars to say you MUST use US made panels.

JP

Well, call it personal preference, but I would not buy a made in China product if I could avoid it. I have seen enough quality shortcuts and have had enough bad experiences to justify a significant cost premium if a non-China product can be sourced.

One way to mitigate the quality risk is to buy from a supplier that owns their own factory and actively manages the supply chain for their China made products. I definitely wouldn't expect Chinese made modules from a Chinese owned company to be anywhere near as reliable over the long-haul as something made elsewhere.

Tough though.. when something has a 25 year warranty.. and there's no moving parts.

JP

JP11 said:

.. and there's no moving parts.

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No moving part improve chances, but lots of PC boards fail at their solder joints. Having said that, I have seen the Chinese make incredible quality improvements in only 2 or 3 production cycles.

The Chinese have made great strides in the past 10 years. They are popping up in many markets and if you attend industry trade shows you will have noticed increases in vendors from China. That being said they try and reverse engineer products and those are typically the ones that are not as good as a standard has been set and already exposed to the market. They have become the Wal-mart of manufacturing. However many products in your home have Chinese components or manufactured in China with US company names. Your new iPhone was manufactured in China. The bottom line is still in play and companies have to compete. In the case of the panels how many replacement panels would need to be purchased to match the US price? Probably worth the gamble.

I'm only in the research phase, but the panels that caught my eye are made by SunPower (http://us.sunpower.com). I think their product is manufactured in the USA?

Yes, the Chinese manufacture many products. Yes, they are cheap. Yes, my iPhone is made in China (under the close supervision of Apple and Taiwanese Foxconn owners, who manage much tighter to Western standards the Chinese companies do).

Will you likely have OK results with Chinese-made panels? Sure. Will they likely produce 80% power as long as a non-Chinese panel? I doubt it. Will more of them, on average, fail over time? Yes. When one of your Chinese made panels in a 16 panel array fails, and you can't find a physical size or electrical match, will it be a pain in the ass to fit a replacement into your array? Sure. Is it worth it? Maybe to some, not to me. I just don't want to deal with poor quality, and I can afford the initial up-front cost for better quality (which I believe also has a lower operating cost over time), so I buy better quality.

Honestly, if you have ever worked closely with a Chinese company like I have and seen the design shortcuts, complete lack of quality control, and the pervasive use of cut-rate or absolute counterfeit parts or materials, you would think twice about buying anything made in China if you could possibly avoid it. Any my own personal experiences with buying simple things (kitchen utensils, tools, etc.) that were made in China and just "break" or "fail" in a matter of weeks tells me that they still have a long way to go. When I speak to people I work with who are Chinese and they tell me that they wouldn't buy a Chinese-brand TV since the quality is so bad compared to Japanese-brand TVs (some of which are made in China, of course, but under the close supervision of people who monitor and care about quality), that tells me a lot as well.

renewablejohn said:

Just installing 30kw on a new barn we are building on the farm and have come across a product called solar wall which turns your panels from PV into PVT which is supposed to cool your PV panels so you get more PV output and produces hot air which we will be using for grain and woodchip drying. I will let you all know how it performs.

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I would also like to hear how they work out and a good point to be considered.
My thought on this though, is that they're better suited towards warmed climates than mine.

For your situation John, I see you typically have 'better' purpose for things.

stayfitz said:

I'm only in the research phase, but the panels that caught my eye are made by SunPower (http://us.sunpower.com). I think their product is manufactured in the USA?

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Sunpower's generally have to be installed by a licensed dealer. They are premium priced. You cant go wrong with them but there are far lower cost panels that will work. There is one situation where they may make sense and that is if you are limited on roof space and want to maximum the available footage.

As for me, I buy close out from known brands. Tom from Maine on this site had/has a great deal on German Shuco modules, no warranty as they are close outs but nice panels. I added on a small 2 KW array with them and were impressed.