I’ve been gathering quotes and info for a while. I’ve now got a shortlist of potential systems I’d like some advice/opinions on.
For a start I know I have shading issues, and have decided on the more expensive option of using Enphase microinverters. Panels are split between East and West as I have no viable North facing roof.
These are the quotes (before any Victorian Government rebate, but include the STC discount). I believe they are from reputable installers.
Q1 Option A: 6.51kW, 21 x QCells Q.Peak G4.1 310W, $9020
Option B: 6.61kW, 21 x Longi LR6-60PE 315W, $8020
Q2 Option A: : 6.51kW, 21 x Trina Honey M Plus 310W, $8229
Option B: 5.40kW, 18 x Suntech Hypro STP 300S 300W, $7395
Is it worth spending the extra $1K on the QCells vs the Longi panels in Quote 1 - ie, do they offer that much in the way of reliability/efficiency/warranty to warrant the extra $1K spend?
I didn’t ask Quoter 2 to give me a quote for 3 additional Suntech panels. Similarly to the above, how
do Suntech panels stack up against the Trina or for that matter the QCells or Longi?
This is Ivan from Solar Nextgen. Thanks for your request for advice/opinions.
I will try to answer your questions first.
"Is it worth spending the extra $1K on the QCells vs the Longi panels in Quote 1 - ie, do they offer that much in the way of reliability/efficiency/warranty to warrant the extra $1K spend?
Probably not. It really comes down to your personal preference. My advice to people is that you do not necessarily get the same amount of reliability/efficiency/warranty for the extra spend. Secondly I would like to send you our quotes which would show you that the price differential is closer to $675.00 not $1,000.00.
In our opinion Suntech are the best panels among all those listed by you and definitely better than Trina or Longi.
If you have shading issues I would advise you to seriously consider Solaredge panels which have inbuilt power optimisers and are built exactly to over come shading issues. They are also considered to be very safe. I can send you more information should you require.
Lastly I assume you are aware that the Victorian solar rebate is on hold till the 1st of July.
I think you are on the right track, at this point it will be hard to distinguish between those options. It’s really weighing up risk. As a generalisation, spending the extra money will lower your risk of something going wrong with the panels over their expected 25+ year lifetime. And also maintaining the power output. From that perspective, spending an extra $1k up front probably is worth it.
I won’t comment on the specific make and models here, but I would say that you are better off paying more for better quality panels, it will pay off in the long run. See our article on best solar panels for more specific guidance
Hi Ivan & Marty, thank you for your advice, I’ll take it on board.
(Ivan, aren’t Solar Nextgen a QLD based company? Unfortunately yes I did know that the Vic Gov had suspended the scheme. I was in the middle of getting the quotes together so all now on hold. Hopefully they reinstate the rebate at the same, or better, $ level).
Yes we are Queensland based but have just setup Offices in Melbourne and Sydney. Once we received the CEC approved retailer status we have expanded our operations. I should be in Melbourne next week if you wanted me to come see you.
The latest from the Victorian Government is that the rebate will be reinstated after the 1st of July. If you can email me I will keep you updated with the Governments decision on the actual rebate amount.
I have installed solar on a couple of my properties and have been receiving credits ever since so my advice would be regardless of who you go with please do not delay. At today’s prices the payback period is very very reasonable and should be considered as an investment rather than a cost.