farmer barnes Posted December 7, 2022 Share Posted December 7, 2022 I know all the words and arguments. I can talk about mono vs poly, half cut cells, PERC etc until your ears fall off. I (think I) know what I want, and I'd decided what brand to buy as well. But after some fairly catastrophic dealing with a major supplier and their recommended dealer/agent I'm having to change my mind. I have about 12 Renewsys panels installed, but I bought them a long time ago, and they no longer seem to feature in conversations. I'm a DIYer so I'm not looking for an installer, just a supplier of reputable panels whose name doesn't start with a 'C'. (Cape Town based.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenFields Posted December 7, 2022 Share Posted December 7, 2022 Maybe try the PowerForum Store? https://powerforum-store.co.za/collections/solar-panels Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfandy Posted December 7, 2022 Share Posted December 7, 2022 I have bought from Solar Shop in the past with good experience And they carry JA Solar panels, which are decorating my roof Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmer barnes Posted December 7, 2022 Author Share Posted December 7, 2022 I'm seeing the name "JA" a lot nowadays, but I don't know/can't decide whether that's because of aggressive marketing, whether it's based on quality, or it's simply a matter of "follow the herd" (no offence meant! ). Seems like every panel I see advertised comes from China now, and I dislike monopolies. Pity LG quit the PV game. I understand they were very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johandup Posted December 8, 2022 Share Posted December 8, 2022 Bought from the powerforum store and he delivery of 15 panels was painless. Ensure you have space for a big lorry for parking and offloading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumper Posted December 8, 2022 Share Posted December 8, 2022 11 hours ago, farmer barnes said: I have about 12 Renewsys panels installed, but I bought them a long time ago, and they no longer seem to feature in conversations. I see sustainable still stocks some Renewsys panels and they are CT based. I have had Renewsys and Renesola panels for years and their build quality is far better than the SASolar and Cinco panels I bought recently. They weigh about twice as much with better quality glass and the frames are much tougher and perfectly square, the cheaper panels' quality is much lower, but I do seem to get full power from them. Will just have to see how well they age with time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmer barnes Posted December 8, 2022 Author Share Posted December 8, 2022 @jumperthanks, I'd seen that. On the subject if renewsys, have you had any panels discolouring like this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmer barnes Posted December 8, 2022 Author Share Posted December 8, 2022 @JohandupI'm happy for you. It didn't go quite as smoothly for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettB Posted December 8, 2022 Share Posted December 8, 2022 https://thepowerstore.co.za/ They have warehouses JHB, DBN and CPT so shipping for panels and long rails is by far the cheapest for me in Durbs. Everything I have ever ordered from them came from Segen Solar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumper Posted December 8, 2022 Share Posted December 8, 2022 3 hours ago, farmer barnes said: @jumperthanks, I'd seen that. On the subject if renewsys, have you had any panels discolouring like this? I can't say that I have anything like that on my panels, are you sure it is discolouration and not just sun angle? Here's a pic of 18 brand new Cinco panels I recently set up which look like they have the same discolouration, but they definitely don't, it's just the reflection is not always uniform. Sometimes the 2 panels on the far right look black while the others look blue just because of a tiny difference in their angle, they are all identical though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmer barnes Posted December 9, 2022 Author Share Posted December 9, 2022 @jumper have you had a problem with renewsys panels discolouring? See photo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmer barnes Posted December 9, 2022 Author Share Posted December 9, 2022 Oh cool. You've saved me a trip up the ladder, and when you're my age and shape, that's a good thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmer barnes Posted December 9, 2022 Author Share Posted December 9, 2022 Just to try to bring this thread back to my original question, how did/will you choose your PV brand (as opposed to supplier)? Or did/will you choose your supplier first and go with their preferred brand ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumper Posted December 10, 2022 Share Posted December 10, 2022 17 hours ago, farmer barnes said: Just to try to bring this thread back to my original question, how did/will you choose your PV brand (as opposed to supplier)? Or did/will you choose your supplier first and go with their preferred brand ? Honestly for me it was what was available in 2016 and now it is what I can get with free delivery as I'm quite remote. I have learned now that weight is a good indicator of quality and if you can see them in person then the 'squareness' of the frame on the corners says a lot too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmer barnes Posted December 10, 2022 Author Share Posted December 10, 2022 @jumper excellent tip. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobster. Posted December 10, 2022 Share Posted December 10, 2022 On 2022/12/09 at 1:21 PM, farmer barnes said: Just to try to bring this thread back to my original question, how did/will you choose your PV brand (as opposed to supplier)? Or did/will you choose your supplier first and go with their preferred brand ? I chose an installer. This was made easy for me because I did some googling (after which, to be honest, I still didn't know much) and emailed 3 companies. Only one responded, so that was my short list of one. I went with equipment they recommended. They gave me two quotes. Essentially the difference was in the inverters (Goodwe V Victron). There was a saving on the Goodwe, so that settled that. On a general point, I thought then and still think now that if an installer recommends certain brands then that's what you should go with. You have to trust that they have done their homework, know the equipment well, have a good relationship with the distributor/manufacturer, and will have the product knowledge to help you fine tune the system and to answer your queries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmer barnes Posted December 10, 2022 Author Share Posted December 10, 2022 1 hour ago, Bobster. said: I chose an installer. This was made easy for me because I did some googling (after which, to be honest, I still didn't know much) and emailed 3 companies. Only one responded, so that was my short list of one. I went with equipment they recommended. They gave me two quotes. Essentially the difference was in the inverters (Goodwe V Victron). There was a saving on the Goodwe, so that settled that. On a general point, I thought then and still think now that if an installer recommends certain brands then that's what you should go with. You have to trust that they have done their homework, know the equipment well, have a good relationship with the distributor/manufacturer, and will have the product knowledge to help you fine tune the system and to answer your queries. That last paragraph is so not my experience. When I started getting close to buying my new system, I started going to visit companies that looked impressive on the Internet. But after seeing two suppliers working out of their garages, and a couple more saying "well, I can get you anything, they're all the same inside anyway", then I said no. I have one requirement of a supplier - there must a reasonable chance that they'll still be around in ten year's time. Else what's the point of the warranty? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobster. Posted December 10, 2022 Share Posted December 10, 2022 1 minute ago, farmer barnes said: That last paragraph is so not my experience. When I started getting close to buying my new system, I started going to visit companies that looked impressive on the Internet. But after seeing two suppliers working out of their garages, and a couple more saying "well, I can get you anything, they're all the same inside anyway", then I said no. I have one requirement of a supplier - there must a reasonable chance that they'll still be around in ten year's time. Else what's the point of the warranty? Oh I agree that there are chancers out there, and the only way to know if you're dealing with a chancer or not is the hard way. Also, as I recounted, some companies look impressive on the web, but can't even respond to an email. But there are good installers out there too, with pride in their work and likely to last the distance. The guys I dealt with gave good support and are still around (and doing well) 3.5 years later (and they hadn't just started when I dealt with them). I didn't know that at the time, of course, so there is always (not just in the world of PV) some leap of faith. But I think the general point still stands. If I expect the installer to support the entire system, then I have to listen to his recommendations. Or I have to reduce my own expectations of the support I can expect Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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