By Evolution Solar Sunshine Coast
For a business that believes that ‘understanding is key,’ there is nothing quite like SolarEdge Inverters and their online monitoring system. It gives us at Evolution Solar Sunshine Coast, the upper hand and allows us to test different panel brands and how they perform even before selling a single one. Here is what we found.
On the Evolution Solar Sunshine Coast office in Mooloolaba there is a 2.78kW solar system. This system is hooked up to a SolarEdge 3.3kW inverter which allows for free online monitoring. The statistics the inverter shows and how it all works are incredibly clever. It can alert you to any potential problems (down to which panel in which string) as well as show you each individual panel’s performance at any stage in the day – accumulative performance over time or just the daily total. As a result of each panel being monitored separately, each panel will operate at its maximum even if another panel is partly shaded. Most normal string inverters will cause all the panels to operate at the efficiency of the lowest performing panel. You can also view the solar panels in a basic layout or view them in the exact positions they sit on the roof. The information is easy to understand and all levels of solar understanding would be able to gather some important data from it.
The particular solar system in Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast currently consists of four Bosch solar panels, four Sharp solar panels and four Astronergy solar panels. The Company director, Mickey Harris, has been monitoring their performance and found the information very helpful. “We strive to help customers to actually understand their electricity use and therefore find the best way for them to cut their power bills,” he said. “We are not looking for a ‘fast sale’ or anything like that, we just want what is best for our customers and that’s why people come to us instead of our competitors.”
He went on to say that the SolarEdge online monitoring system has been like our own mini ‘Desert Knowledge Australia Solar Centre.’ He is free to change the panels and test different brands, as and when they come to pass and decide whether they are up to his standard of quality. Not only that, but to test the panels he already sells and determine which has the better performance.
From Friday 18th to Sunday 20th of January 2013, the 2.78kW system produced 50.16kW of energy. The idea of putting these three brands to the test was to put some popular myths to rest. Many believe the quality coming out of China is not very good and there has always been the debate of monocrystalline vs. polycrystalline. So it was therefore decided to put up what Mickey believed to be quality Chinese solar panels, Astronergy, vs. the quality polycrystalline Sharp solar panels vs. the German, top class Bosch solar panels as the monocrystalline.
1. Astronergy – Astronergy panels are manufactured by Chint Solar which is a top manufacturer in China. The quality control in the manufacturing process is very good and the cells are made from quality materials so therefore producing a respectable, good pedigree solar panel.
2. Sharp – Sharp is a well-known brand all over the world. It is a Japanese, polycrystalline solar panel. It is a well-known and well used panel in the solar industry.
3. Bosch – The name alone usually speaks for itself. Many have known and used all kinds of Bosch products with great success. Especially in the solar power industry, the brand is associated with quality and durability. It is a German manufactured monocrystalline solar panel.
The findings were not quite as you would expect. The panels all operated within less than 1% of each other! This dispels all the myths tested. The Chinese Astronergy solar panel generated within 0.01% of the German Bosch solar panel. This proves that there is quality coming out of China as long as you are looking at a panel and a manufacturing company with a good pedigree. Also surprisingly, the polycrystalline panel performed the best. Many believe that monocrystalline panels are better and that has not proved true in this experiment. The Sharp slightly outperformed the Bosch but both panels performed extremely well and continue to operate at high efficiencies. Polycrystalline panels are usually better priced as well.
As a result of these tests, Evolution Solar Sunshine Coast has sold and continues to sell Astronergy, Sharp and Bosch panels. We are very happy with their performance and have not had any warranty issues with any of them, although they are confident that any warranty problems would be handled quickly and efficiently by all respective companies.
Mickey’s last word of advice from these tests would be to choose a solar panel that has a good pedigree, whether Chinese, German, monocrystalline or polycrystalline. The more important and pressing factor would be the inverter that goes with it. As the heart of the system, results may vary more so than the results from this test.
If you are ever in doubt or have any questions, feel free to contact Evolution Solar Sunshine Coast or Mickey directly on 0421 554 522 and he is always happy to help people understand. He has been in business for over 30 years as well as many years in the solar industry. He is a good person to ask and he doesn’t mind answering any questions.