Risen Solar Panels: An Independent Review by Solar Choice

Overview of Risen Energy – Company History

Risen Energy Co., Ltd. was founded in 1986 and converted from being a producer into a solar panel manufacturer in 2002. The company was listed as a Chinese public company in 2010 and is currently trading on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. While experience growth, Risen Energy has maintained a debt ratio of 60% over the last decade and is deemed bankable for large-scale solar projects.

While at its core the company is a Chinese manufacturer of Solar Panels and Silicon wafers, Risen have also played the role of a investor, developer and an EPC of large-scale solar projects across the globe. While headquartered in Ningbo, China, Risen Energy has 11 offices across Europe, USA, Japan, India, Mexico and Australia.

Risen have been supplying solar panels into Australia since 2008 and have developed a local office and team based in Mt Waverley, Victoria. Risen has setup distribution channels in Australia including recently announcing a 150MW distribution agreement with One Stop Warehouse giving them exclusive rights to Risen’s 330W Jäger Solar Panels.

Key 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. Risen Solar Panels are in the Bloomberg Tier 1

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.

Risen Solar Panels was listed as a top performer for LID+LETID and Potential-induced degradation in the latest report.

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. Risen Solar Technology currently has offices located in Melbourne and Brisbane.

 How Much Do Risen 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 Risen 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

Risen Solar Panel Technologies

Currently, in Australia Risen offers two series of panels being the Standard Half Cut and Fuel Cells Panels as well as the Jäger Plus Series which is Mono Facial and Bi Facial. At the time of updating this page (June 2020), they can produce panels with efficiencies of up to 20.2% (Risen Jäger Plus). They all have a 15-year product warranty that covers the panels if they fail due to a fault in manufacturing.

Risen Jäger Plus Series

The Risen Jäger series were born in response to some of the key industrial pains and customer concern such as how to reduce LID (Light-induced Degradation, LETID (Light and elevated Temperature Induced Degradation),  internal loss, shadow shading and BOS cost. As a new generation of high performance, high cost-effective and reliable products, Jäger series have a total of four types of products: RSM120, RSM132, RSM144 and RSM156. of which the highest module conversion efficiency can reach up to 20.2% with the highest power output reaching up to 440Wp.

Jäger high-efficiency mono-crystalline cells deploy the world leading two-side-stack-passivation technology, SE (Selective Emitter) technology, low-temperature firing technology and enhanced current injection technology. This can increase the cell conversion efficiency and at the same time reduce LID and LETID. Jäger cell conversion efficiency can reach up to 22.51% with the efficiency of mainstream bin between 22.1% and 22.2%.

The Jäger series includes the following models which have been approved by the CEC for use in Australia:

• Risen 120 Mono Jäger Datasheet  – 330-350Wp
• Risen 132 Mono Jäger Datasheet – 360 – 380Wp
• Risen 144 Mono Jäger Datasheet – 395 – 420Wp
• Risen 156 Mono Jäger Datasheet – 430 – 455Wp

Risen Standard Half-Cut and Full Cells Panels

Risens standard level split cell solar modules present a cost effective solution to the market. It is a split cell polycrystalline design with a 5-bus bar cell connection. Enough to pass for an up to date solar module design. Using the traditional white EVA substrate (back sheet) ensures the rear of the module is protected from imposing environmental elements that will ensure cooler operating conditions. With no real elements of inspiration, the overall design would be considered to meet the basic requirements while enabling a sharp retail price. In a time where modern split cell designs are now pushing 19%+ efficiencies, the Risen RSM poly registers a maximum module efficiency of 17.3% in 290W variants. Below average mainly due to the polycrystalline cell composite, however, a feature that does aid in the affordability stakes. Possessing a slightly better than average Temperature coefficient of -0.39%C the Risen RSM120 still has a better temperature resilience than the industry average.

The Risen RSM120 poly again fails to stand out in its performance warranty. With a 3% first year degradation rate is during the solar modules stabilisation period, the solar panels lag behind most tier one cost-effective range which warrant 2.5%. Thereafter annual degradation is expected to be no more than 0.7% per annum for the remaining 24-years which would be inline with most of their peers in the cost-effective range. 

These include the following models which have been approved by the CEC for use in Australia:

• Risen 60 Poly Full Cell Datasheet – 270-290Wp
• Risen 60 Mono Full Cell Datasheet – 295-315Wp
• Risen 72 Poly Full Cell Datasheet – 325-345Wp
• Risen 72 Mono Full Cell Datasheet – 360 – 380Wp
• Risen 120 Poly Half-Cut Cell Datasheet – 275 – 295Wp
• Risen 120 Mono Half-Cut Cell Datasheet – 300 – 320Wp
• Risen 144 Poly Half-Cut Cell Datasheet – 335-355Wp
• Risen 144 Mono Half-Cut Cell Datasheet – 370 – 390Wp

Risen Solar Panel Specifications

Example of a Risen Commercial Solar Project

• Date: Q4, 2019
• Risen Model: 360/365W Mono 1500VDC
• Type of Application: Owner
• System Size: 134 MW

The Yarranlea Solar Farm is being developed on 250Ha of sparsely vegetated farmland approximately 50km west of Toowoomba in Queensland. The solar farm can generate 264GWh of electricity a year, which is sufficient to power 32,000 households while offsetting 124,000t of carbon emissions a year. It generated approximately 200 jobs during the construction phase and employs up to five people in the operational phase.

The construction of the solar farm began in May 2018 and was completed in August 2019. Grid connection was established in January 2020. The project is expected to have a lifecycle of 30 years.

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Dillon Bohler

Solar Consultant at Solar Choice

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