Solar Panels

Overview

Whilst all of the components that make up a solar power system are important, the solar panels are particularly important as they make up the largest cost of the system, are the largest driver of system performance and are the most difficult to fix if something were to go wrong.

Infinite Energy offers our clients a choice of different solar panels and we can source any panel on the market. We have however chosen a range of solar panels that we believe offer the best trade off between performance, value and quality.

Mono-crystaline

Poly-crystaline

Thin-Film (CIGS)

Solar Panel Assessment Criteria

1. Is the panel manufactured by a “Tier 1” brand name Solar manufacturer?

   Be very wary if a solar installation company doesn’t specify the brand of panel to be supplied. You wouldn’t buy a car without knowing the manufacturer and the model, and solar is no different. Likewise, if you are actually provided with the name of the panel but you can’t find information easily online, reconsider the purchase. There’s a plethora of information available online about panels made by the world’s leading solar panel manufacturers.

   Large scale solar farms around the world only source solar panels from large “Tier 1” solar manufacturers and you should follow their lead.

2. Does the Solar panel manufacturer have a significant Australian presence?

   Be wary of local solar retailers importing panels directly from overseas. In the case of a future malfunction, you’ll have very little warranty support if the retailer is not around anymore. Infinite Energy does not import panels directly from overseas – we only source solar panels from manufacturers who have a significant presence in Australia which provides you with multiple levels of warranty support.

3. Has the Solar Panel demonstrated superior performance in Australian conditions?

   
   

   Infinite Energy is a research partner with the University of Western Australia through the Future Farm 2050 Project. The solar component of the project is designed to test various solar panel technologies in Australian conditions, including Monocrystaline, Polycrystaline and Thin Film (CIGS).

   Infinite Energy has also installed a solar panel test facility for the East Metropolitan Regional Council (EMRC) which tests Monocrystaline, Polycrystaline and Thin Film (CIGS) solar panels. You can find more information here – EMRC Solar Test Facility.

   We also use data from the Australian Government’s solar test facility Desert Knowledge in Alice Springs and from respected solar industry publication Photon Magazine.

Brands

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when considering installing a solar system is believing that all solar panels are created equal. In fact there are significant differences in the quality, reliability and durability of the solar panels available on the market in Australia.

After extensive research, Infinite Energy is pleased to recommend the following solar panel brands to our clients:

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