Trina Solar Panels: An Independent Review by Solar Choice

Note: Solar Choice is not a solar installer and has no financial or other incentives to promote any product brand over another.

Overview of Trina Solar – Company History

Trina Solar was first established in 1997 by Gao Jifan. The company was one of the early pioneers of solar panel manufacturing in China and has a well-established position a top 5 solar panel manufacturer by volume.

Trina Solar are a publicly listed company on the Shanghai Stock Exchange with a market capitalisation of around 47 billion Chinese Yen (~AUD$10bn). In recent bankability listing by PV Module Tech, Trina Solar were AA rated which was the second high ranking.

As a long standing brand in the Australian market, Trina Solar panels have been used across a broad array of residential, commercial and solar farm projects in Australia dating back to the early 2000s.

Trina solar have operations in over 160 countries and employ over 40,000 staff. In Australia, they have a local office based in Macquarie Park in Sydney.

Key Panel Indicators

What is a Bloomberg Tier 1 Solar Panel?

Bloomberg’s infamous tier 1 ranking is NOT a measure of Solar Panel quality in any way. It is simply an indication of the bankability of the manufacturer based on publicly released information on the financial health of the company. This should give you an idea if the company is a large, well-known manufacturer.

See full list of Bloomberg Tier 1 Solar Panels

What is PV Evolution Labs Top Performer?

PV Evolution Labs with support from DNV GL independently test solar panel reliability. The tests are voluntary, with solar panel manufacturers paying to participate in the testing. This testing process is internationally renowned and is an accurate reflection of the solar panel’s performance.

Trina Solar was listed as a top performer for all 7 tests (the thermal cycling, damp heat, mechanical stress sequence, hail stress sequence, PID, LID+LETID and PAN performance) in the latest report. Trina Solar has been consistently named each year as a top performer since 2014.

See full list of PV Evolution Labs Top Performing Solar Panels

Why is office location in Australia Important?

Most solar panel manufacturers entering the Australian market first set up their distribution channels and worry about customer service later. This has led to many unhappy customers who are left trying to contact Chinese head offices to claim on their 10-year product warranty.

Relying on your solar installer is not always an option as we’ve seen many residential solar installers (including the large ones) go out of business well within the lifetime of the systems they are installing.

Trina Solar Australia head office is located in Sydney.

How Much Do Trina Solar Panels Cost?

Based on Solar Choice’s database we have provided the below-average costs as an indicative guide. These prices include:

• Full turnkey Solar System with Trina Solar Panels
• Installation from a pre-vetted reputable installer from Solar Choice’s network
• The STC rebate and GST

 Important Note: Prices will vary depending on location, inverter brand and which installer is used

Trina Solar Panels – Points of Difference

There are many solar panels out there, what makes Trina solar panels stand out?

The large solar panel manufacturer

Trina Solar is one of the largest solar manufacturers in the world. By the end of April 11th, 2022, their annual production capacity cumulative shipments of PV modules had exceeded 100GW. 

Trina has 3 manufacturing plants located in China, Thailand and Vietnam, it is reported that they have a 50GW+ company-wide production capacity. This makes them a top 5 solar panel manufacturer globally.

Vertically integrated supply chain

Trina also owns most steps in the vertical supply chain to produce a solar panel including producing ingots, silicon wafers and solar cells which are all upstream components of solar panels. This strategy enables them to keep greater control over the supply and quality of each step of the process.

Trina Solar Panel Technologies

Trina currently has 261 solar panels approved by the Clean Energy Council in Australia under the name “Trina Solar Co Ltd”. This is a requirement to be eligible for the federal STC solar rebate.

Currently, in Australia Trina offers three series of panels Honey, Tallmax, and Vertex. And several sub-series for each one.

Honey Series

The Honey Series was Trina’s most popular solar panel in Australia striking a balance between efficiency and quality along with an affordable price. Available with both monocrystalline and multicrystalline cells, the Trina Honey solar panel with 120 half-cut cells is perfect for small rooftop systems. All panels in the Honey Series come with Trina’s 12-year product and 25-linear power output warranty. This series included the panels that were ranked as top performers by PV Evolution Labs testing. They also provide all-black options for the customer (Honey Black Series). However, only the series of Honey M (360 – 380 WP) solar panels are on sale now in Australia, the other series are discontinued.

Vertex Series

Vertex Series are the most used Trina solar panels in the Australian market now. There are several sub-series including Vertex S, Vertex S+, Vertex N, Vertex Backsheet and Vertex Bifacial. All the Vertex Series solar panels use monocrystalline solar cells which means the Silicon used is purer than polycrystalline.

The Vertex S is the solar panel directed at the residential market as the smaller dimensions enable the panel to cater to more complex residential roofs. There are two versions of the Vertex S solar panel which could be considered a standard and a premium option.

The standard Vertex S solar panel features 120 half-cut monocrystalline cells giving the solar panel an overall dimension of 1754mm x 1096mm including the aluminium frame. The panel total output ranges from 380W to 405W with a maximum efficiency of up to 21.1% which is impressive. This panel offers a 15 year product warranty which is slightly ahead of most panels in the market which offer 12 years.

The premium Vertex S solar panel utilises 144 monocrystalline solar cells giving the overall panel slightly larger dimensions at 1762mm x 1134mm. As a result these panels watt ratings range from 405W to 435W and a higher maximum efficiency up to 21.8% which is approaching the best on the market. The big kicker for these panels is they come with an additional 10 years on the product warranty giving a total 25 year warranty which matches the best options on the Australian market for residential customers.

Tallmax and Duomax Series

These two series were one of the main products of Trina, however, similar to Honey Series, only Tallmax M (435 – 460W) are now less commonly found in the Australian market as their production has been discontinued.
Tallmax and Duomax series are the predecessors of Vertex Series and you can see some Tallmax & Duomax in Trina’s new products with higher efficiency and better performance.

Independent Testing of Trina Solar Panels by PV Labs Australia

In late 2023, PV Labs Australia completed some independent testing of solar panels which way paid for by the ACT Government. A sample of 121 solar panels from 14 different manufacturers were borrowed from suppliers in the market.

The solar panels were tested via a visual inspection, STC power, electroluminescence, wet leakage and potential induced degradation. 

Trina Solar scored 85 out of 100 placing them in the middle of the pack. This confirms the widely accepted knowledge that Trina solar is positioned as a mid-range quality solar panel with consistent performance.

See the full report here.

Trina’s Warranty Offer for Australian Customers

Solar panels in the Australian market come with a performance warranty and a product warranty.

Solar panel manufacturers typically offer product warranties ranging from 10-12 years to cover manufacturing faults that may lead to damage or malfunction. Trina offers a variety of product warranties, starting from 10 years for their cheaper options and going up to 30 years for their bifacial solar panels, which are designed for ground-mounted solar projects. Trina Solar have a new ‘Vertex’ solar panel range for the Australian residential market which offers a 25-year product warranty. 

Solar panels come with a performance warranty that guarantees a certain level of energy output throughout their lifetime. Typically, this warranty ensures that the panels will produce 80-82% of the nameplate output even after 25 years of use. Trina offers a variety of solar panels with different performance warranties. Their warranties range from 84.7% to 87.4% after 25 years of use. The dual glass monocrystalline Vertex S+ and Vertex N series have the highest performance warranty at 87.4%.

Upon examining Trina’s warranty documentation, it is evident that there is a well-defined process for filing a warranty claim, and ample remedies are available after an evaluation has been completed. Trina has an Australian office to assist with the process, which means customers can easily access the claim process even if their installer is no longer available to help.

See Trina’s full warranty documentation here.

Trina Solar Panel Specifications

Pros and Cons of Trina Solar Panels

Pros：

• Safe option as they are a large manufacturing capacity and healthy financial position
• Vertically integrated manufacturing process
• Have a local office in Sydney, Australia

Cons：

• Having a lot of models available in the Australian market we have had feedback it is confusing for customers to determine what reviews are relevant to what they have been quoted

Should I Buy Trina Solar Panels?

If you are looking for a reliable solar option for either commercial or residential projects, Trina Solar is definitely worth considering. However, it’s important to note that the quality of their solar panels can vary depending on the model you choose. To ensure that you are getting the best value for your money, we recommend that you obtain the datasheet from your installer and do your own research.

Feel free to contact Solar Choice for some impartial expert advice on your quote.

Trina Solar Panels Used On UOQ 1.2MW Installation

The University of Queensland has a total of 5000 polycrystalline Trina Solar panels installed across 4 of the buildings on campus. The installation totals 1.22MW and at the time when it was completed, it was Australia’s largest rooftop grid photovoltaic system. The system is responsible for powering approximately 6% of the University’s peak electricity demand. To put it into perspective, the same amount of electricity could power 800 typical Queensland households at once. The system produces around 1.85GWh of electricity per year, reducing the University’s carbon footprint significantly. The reduction would be equivalent to taking 335 cars off the road each year.

As of January 2019, the University of Queensland had 49,336 solar panels in operation. These panels generate almost 9 million KWh of clean energy, which is enough electricity to power over 1,500 typical Queensland homes.

Read more product reviews from Solar Choice

• About
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Jeff Sykes

CEO at Solar Choice

Jeff has consulted on over 20MW of commercial solar projects, ranging from SMEs to ASX top 100 companies. Jeff has also provided independent advice to 100s of residential solar, battery and EV charging customers across every state in Australia. He holds an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management and is an expert in business strategy and financial analysis.

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