Note: Solar Choice is not a solar installer and has no financial or other incentives to promote DAS Solar or any other brand
Overview of DAS – Company History
DAS Solar, founded in August 2018 by Yong Liu in Quzhou, China, which makes them one of the latest entrants to the solar panel manufacturing industry.
The company has grown rapidly and now claims to have a product capacity of 30GW across their manufacturing sites in China. DAS have focused on N-type solar panels and also offer a lightweight solar panel.
DAS Solar established its first overseas subsidiary in Germany in early 2023. On DAS Solar’s website their Australian address is listed as Level 61, 1 Farrer Pl which appears to be the address of their lawyers King & Wood Mallesons.
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.
DAS solar panels are not a Bloomberg tier 1 solar panel.
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.
DAS Solar’s N-type bifacial solar panel modules were named as top performers across 5 of 7 tests performed by PV Evolution labs.
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 their 25-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.
DAS currently do Not have an Australian office
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DAS Solar Panel Technologies
DAS currently has 93 solar panels approved by the Clean Energy Council in Australia under the name “DAS SOLAR CO LTD”. This is a requirement to be eligible for the federal STC solar rebate.
N type Series
The DAS N-type series, launched in July 2022, offers modules ranging from 430W to 635W, encompassing three sub-series: D-Max, D-Matrix, and D-Mini. The solar panels are bifacial and have a glass backsheet.
The D-Mini model is the solar panel best suited to residential solar projects with its smaller dimensions (1.7m by 1.1m) enabling designs to make the most of more compact roof spaces.
The D-Mini comes in power outputs ranging from 410 watts to 435 watts with a maximum efficiency rating of up to 22.3%. This matches many of the mainstream solar panel brands in the cost-effective tier.
The N-type series come with options for black frames or all black appearance to suit customers aesthetic preferences.
P type Series
The P type series offers older technology in the cell design. The solar cells are Mono-PERC which was the leading technology before N-type technology was introduced. They come in bifacial double glass construction or mono-facial single glass.
These solar panels are generally in larger dimension sizes (2.3m by 1.1m) and have a shorter product warranty to the N-type panels so are not likely designed for residential applications.
The maximum efficiency for these panels is rated up to 21.7%.
Lightweight panels
One of the more unique solar panel series is DAS Solar’s lightweight solar panel solution. There are only a few manufacturers of lightweight solar panels in the market and they attempt to provide a solution for roof spaces that cannot withstand the weight and loading of a traditional solar panel.
The DAS lightweight solar panels need to be glued to the roof space. The panels weigh 9.9kg with a thickness of 4mm which is approximately half the weight of a traditional solar panel. This series of solar panels offer a maximum power output ranging from 415W to 430W.
The solar panels utilise P-type solar cells and come with a maximum efficiency rating of up to 20.8%.
DAS’s Warranty for Australian Customers
Solar panels typically come with both product and performance warranties. The product warranty covers manufacturing faults that lead to damage or malfunction and is typically 15 to 25 years for most solar panel manufacturers. DAS offers a 10-year standard warranty for their lightweight series panels, a 15-year warranty for P-type panels, and a 25-year product warranty for their N-type (TOPCon) panels.
The performance warranty ensures a certain level of output for the solar panel’s lifetime, normally guaranteeing 80-85% of the nameplate output after 25 years. DAS provides a 25-year performance warranty for their P-type series and lightweight series, while their N-type series provides a 30-year performance warranty. The N-type features a 30 year minimum guarantee of 87.4% after 30 years which matches some of the leading solar panels on the market. For the P-type series, the degradation rate is slightly higher at 2% in the first year and 0.50% annually from year 2 to 25, ending at 86%. The lightweight series follows a degradation rate of 2.5% with 0.5% annual degradation for the 25-year performance warranty.
It is important to note that since DAS currently does not have an Australian office, and the only contact information on the warranty document is for their Chinese headquarters. This may present a serious headache for Australian customers attempting to claim warranty and should be taken into consideration before purchasing these panels.
N-type series solar panels offer competitive performance characteristics
DAS Solar offer one of the few lightweight solar panel solutions on the market
Cons:
Relatively short solar history compared to other major solar panel brands
No Australian office to support customers
Limited availability of case studies showcasing the utilization of their panels in larger projects in Australia
So, Should I Buy DAS Panels?
While the company has demonstrated rapid growth and innovation, offering N-type solar panel options and lightweight curved panels, there are also notable concerns.
DAS’s relatively short solar history compared to other major brands may raise questions about the longevity and reliability of their panels. Additionally, the fact that DAS Solar don’t have an established office in Australia and support team to help customers with technical issues should be a concern for Australian customers.
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Example of a DAS Project
While there’s limited information available about DAS’s Australian case studies due to their relatively recent entry into the solar market, the company has successfully completed numerous large-scale utility projects in China. One notable example is the Awati project, which has an annual average grid-connected electricity output of 800,000 MWh.
Project Name: Xinjiang Awati 400 MW Storage and solar power plant
Location: Awati County, Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region
Ryan is a graduate of the esteemed Photovoltaics Masters program at the UNSW and has a bachelor degree in Automotive Engineering. He has developed solar and battery business cases for 100s of Australian companies across large variety of use cases and has a detailed knowledge of the solar products available on the market.
