Panels

REC was founded in 1996 in Norway. REC is a fully vertically integrated company which means it produces everything from the silicon ingots, wafers, cells and complete module assembly; hence, it has complete control over the quality and traceability of all components. Its operations headquarters and manufacturing facilities are located in Singapore.

REC pioneered half-cut cell technology, which improves the efficiency and wattage of the solar panel. REC solar panels are built to be high quality and panels are some of the most efficient and best-performing panels, but come at a slightly higher price point than competitors.

REC run the “REC Certified Solar Professional Program”, which empowers solar installers to become ‘certified’ with them and allows them to offer longer warranty periods (a product and labour warranty of up to 25 years) to their customers.

Jinko Solarwas founded in 2006. Based in China, became the world’s largest solar panel manufacturer in 2016. Jinko Solar is a huge multi-national, vertically integrated company with manufacturing facilities in China, Malaysia and the US.

As of not long ago, Jinko Solar was by and large not at the front of advancement and typically avoided any unnecessary risk by just manufacturing utilizing proven cell designs, for example, conventional P-type PERC and half-cut cells. However, with the launch of their flagship Tiger NEO Series Modules, Jinko is now leading the transition to cost-effective, high-performance N-type cells.

Apart from Solar PV Modules, Jinko Solar also supplies Hybrid Inverters and Energy Storage Systems. Jinko Solar’s SUNTANK Energy Storage System is a state-of-the-art energy management solution designed for home or business owners who plan to implement effective energy management.

Trina Solar was established by Jifan Gao in 1997 in China. Trina Solar is one of the oldest Chinese solar panel manufacturers and one of the largest fully vertically integrated solar panel manufacturers in the world. 

Trina Solar manufactures a range of solar PV modules for residential, commercial and utility-scale installations, including many of the latest cell technologies, including multi-busbar PERC cells, large 210mm third-cut cells, and the high-density panel format with N-type TOPCon monocrystalline cells. Currently, the Vertex Range is the most popular residential panel in the Trina line-up.

Canadian Solar was founded in 2001 by Dr. Shawn Xiaohua Qu in Canada. Though most of its production is based in China, Canadian Solar has two manufacturing facilities in Ontario, Canada. With more than two decades in business, Canadian Solar is the fifth-largest solar panel manufacturer in the world. From far and wide, Canadian Solar stands for QUALITY, RELIABILITY and VALUE. Their HiKu6 Series Module range is very famous in Australia currently.

Established in 2000, as Xi’an LONGi Silicon Materials Corporation, LONGI Solar is solely owned by the Longi Group based in Xi’an, China, with manufacturing facilities in Malaysia, Vietnam, India, and China. LONGi Solar is the world’s largest manufacturer of solar products, including wafers, cells and panels. Recently, LONGI released Hi-MO 6 panels made using their unique and highly efficient Hybrid Passivated Back Contact (HPBC) cells, making itone of the most efficient solar panels in the world.

Hyundai Heavy Industries Group was established in 1972 and has become a global leader and innovator in renewable energy. Hyundai Green Energy was the renewable subsidiary of Hyundai Heavy Industries (the South Korean company) but was renamed Hyundai Energy Solutions in 2019. The solar PV panels of Hyundai currently available in Australia feature Monocrystalline PERC shingled cells that offer increased performance.

Established in 2006, Israel-headquartered SolarEdge Technologies offers DC-optimised inverter solutions (Intelligent Inverter Systems), Solar PV Modules (named “Smart Modules”) with SolarEdge Optimisers integrated, DC Optimisers and Battery Storage Systems.

SolarEdge launched their solar panel range in 2019, named ‘Smart Modules’, which have their SolarEdge optimisers integrated into the module in an attempt to improve the speed of installation removing the need to install an optimiser on each panel.

Established in 2011, Seraphim which is formally known as “Jiangsu Seraphim Solar System Co, Ltd” is a Chinese solar panel manufacturer. Seraphim has distributed modules to more than 40 countries worldwide and its manufacturing plants are located in China, South Africa, and Vietnam.

Seraphim gained an early reputation based on some of its first solar panels, which passed a rigorous test of solar panel quality known as the “Thresher Test”. This result showed that Seraphim was capable of producing solar PV panels that met the highest standards for durability and quality materials.

Liu Hanyuan’sTongwei Group established TongWei Solar (TW Solar) a photovoltaic company in 1982. Tongwei has been the backbone of the industry, as its main line of business is the manufacturing of high-purity crystalline silicon and photovoltaic cells for many of the world’s leading panel manufacturers.

In mid-2022, the company claimed it was the first manufacturer in the industry to complete 100 GW of solar cell shipments

Guangzhou EGing Photovoltaic Technology Co., Ltd was founded in 2003. EGing is a high-tech company specialized in researching, developing, manufacturing and selling photovoltaic products. It is a vertically integrated solar cell and solar panel manufacturer, and its vertically integrated system combines ingot, wafer, cell, module packaging and solar power generation all together.

Founded in 2005, based in Beijing, China JA Solar is one of the world’s top 5 solar panel manufacturers with its manufacturing facilities located in China, Vietnam and Malaysia. JA Solar is a massive vertically integrated company producing wafers, solar cells, solar panels and photovoltaic power stations. It manufactures reliable, cost-effective solar panels for a range of applications, including residential, commercial and utility-scale systems.

Established in 1986, Risen Energy Co., Ltd. converted from being a producer into a solar panel manufacturer in 2002. Risen Energy Australia, a subsidiary of Risen Energy, established its presence in Australia in 2008. Risen Energy is a distinguished Tier-1 solar module manufacturer and PV solutions provider, publicly listed on China’s Shenzhen Stock Exchange. With a global reach, the company has 22 global sales service centres and boasts a workforce of over 11,000 employees worldwide.

Astronergy Solar, a fully owned subsidiary of Chint Group was founded in 2006 and is based in Hangzhou, China. it is a pioneer in N-type TOPCon PV modules. Its manufacturing units are located across China, Thailand and Vietnam. It has also set up branch companies and sales centres in countries like Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, the United States, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Singapore, Japan, and Thailand, achieving great sales performance of Astronergy PV products in international mainstream markets of Europe, North America, Latin America, and Asia Pacific. In Australia, Astronergy has signed a technical co-operation agreement with the UNSW.

Akcome Group was founded in China in 2006, and listed on the Chinese Stock Exchange in 2010 (SZ 002610). It is a global organization operating in over 30 countries and currently employs more than 6000 employees. Akcome Power Pty Ltd is the Australian subsidiary of the company and was originally registered in Queensland in 2014 withits head office based in Upper Mount Gravatt. Akcome is a leading manufacturer integrating design, production, sales, and service of PV modules and mounting systems, cutting-edge technology and professional services assist in our product being specified for use in China as well as overseas, including Japan, Russia, Germany, and Australia.

HT-SAAE is a reliable government-owned company operated by the China Aerospace and Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). Since 1960 HT-SAAE has been working on solar technology research for China Aerospace and Satellite’s Application and since 2000 has been creating panels for general sale. As a panel producer, HT-SAAE is a leading vertically integrated manufacturer of high-quality products including in every stage of the production chain, from ingots, wafers, and cells to the final assembly of PV modules. They also pride themselves on their quality control, ensuring customers receive a long-term and stable supply of high-quality products.

Back in 2018, an HT-SAAE panel scored “Top Performer” status in DVNGL PV Scorecard Testing. This means it aced DNVGL’s thermal cycling, damp heat, dynamic mechanical load and potential induced degradation (PID) testing.