EGing Solar Panels: An Independent Review by Solar Choice

Overview of EGing – Company History

Founded in 2003 in Changzhou, EGing PV is a vertically-integrated solar cell and solar panel  manufacturer. The company was listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SHA: 600537) in 2003 and now have a current market capitalisation of 4.62BN Chinese Yen. They have recently been named a Tier 1 supplier in Bloomberg’s rankings which suggests they are a bankable supplier.

The company has approximately 2GW of annual solar panel production capacity based out of their single manufacturing facility in Changzhou. The is the primary headquarters for EGing and their only office space despite the fact the sell solar panels in Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.

EGing solar panels have not been utilised on Solar Farm projects in Australia to date. They have limited penetration of the Australian market without a local presence or marketing effort to support their product. They currently have a distribution agreement in place with One Stop Warehouse.

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.

EGing Solar Panels are on Bloomberg’s tier 1 list.

See full list of Tier 1 Solar Panels

What is PV Evolution Labs Top Performer?

PV Evolution Labs in partnership with DNV GL independently test solar panel reliability on an annual basis. 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.

EGing have not been listed as a Top Performer – it is not public information whether EGing have participated in this test or not.

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 since 2011 we’ve seen over 700 residential solar installers (including the large ones) go out of business well within the lifetime of the systems they are installing. 

At this point EGing do NOT have an Australian office – so it appears if you have a warranty claim you will need to liaise directly with your installer or a product distributor.

How Much Do EGing Solar Panels Cost?

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

• Full turnkey Solar System using EGing 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

EGing Solar Panel Technologies

The majority of EGing solar panels are approved by the Clean Energy Council (listed under the company of Changzhou EGing Photovoltaic Technology Co Ltd) for the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme – Australia’s home solar rebate program.

Currently, there are four typical categories in EGing’s residential solutions – half-cut mono modules, standard mono modules, half-cut poly modules and standard poly modules. Below are the full range of EGing panels for residential solutions.

EGing Half Cut Modules

Eging’s Half-Cut “HC” Series come in monocrystalline and polycrystalline versions. Also come in different dimensions with the larger 72 cell panels more suited to commercial applications. The half-cut technology means splitting a cell into 2 pieces which decreases the resistance and improves the panels resiliency to shading.

The Monocrystalline panels are more efficient than the Polycrystalline with the most efficient 60 Cell mono panel offers a nameplate 325W of power and a max efficiency of 19.6%.

This drops to the less impressive 16.9% on the 60 cell poly 280W solar panel. So it’s important to see where the panel you’ve been quoted sits on this spectrum.

EGing also offers an “All Black” option for the 60 cell monocrystalline panels which gives customers with road-facing roofspace an aesthetically pleasing option.

• EG-×××M60-HC 300W to 325W
• EG-×××P60-HC 280W to 300W
• EG-×××M72-HC 365W to 390W
• EG-×××P72-HC 345W to 365W

EGing ‘Standard’ Solar Panels

EGing’s standard “C” series solar panels appeared on the market over a year ago and represent slightly lower efficiency that their half-cut equivalents. The range also comes in monocrystalline and polyscrystalline, and also 72 cell and 60 cell variants.

The 60 cell residential solar panels range from the 290W polycystalline option has a maximum efficiency of 17.75% while the 315W mono solar panel gets to a reasonable 19.28%.

• EG-×××M60-C 310W to 315W
• EG-×××M72-C 365W to 380W
• EG-290P60-C 290W
• EG-×××P72-C 335W to 350W

EGing High Efficiency Solar Panels

The ‘High Efficiency’ HE series features the PERC technology developed at UNSW and reaches a maximum efficiency of 20.58% for their 60 cell 375W solar panel.

The modules feature slightly larger solar cells than their other series enabling a higher total watt rating for each solar panel. The modules state they are rated for a maximum hail load of 2.5cm ice with velocity 23m/s.

This solar panel does not feature on the products section of their website but we can see by the approved modules on the Clean Energy Council website that they have both 60 cell and 72 cell modules which also have data sheets available in their download centre with the watt ratings listed below.

• EG-×××M60-HE 355W to 375W
• EG-×××M72-HE 430W to 450W

EGing also offer some double-glass and bificial modules suited to Utility-scale Solar Farm projects due to their size and weight.

EGing’s Warranty Policies for Australian Customers

Solar panels come with a product and performance warranty. The product warranty is designed to cover manufacturing faults or materials in the panel that leads to damage or malfunction, while the performance warranty is to cover a panel’s performance won’t deteriorate beyond a certain point.

As of May 1st 2021, EGing now offers a 15 year product warranty and a 25 year performance warranty on their panels offered in Australia. For the performance warranty, the policy details the linear power output degradation that is covered for each of the different types of panels (i.e. Polycrystalline or Monocrystalline, single glass or double glass modules).

To have a good chance of claiming warranty with EGing you will need to have your installer or an ‘authorised dealer’ make the claim on your behalf.  If they are out of business you will need to make “an immediate notification directly to EGing PV”.  EGing do not have an Australian office and their website only lists Chinese phone numbers.

In response to an earlier version of this review, EGing has now updated and made some positive improvements to their warranty policy and created an Australian website with an ability to lodge a warranty claim online.

“In case of replacement, upon receiving the notification from EGing PV in writing for return of the product involved for warranty claim, the customer can ship the products back to EGing PV’s authorized dealers or nominated address in Australia. EGing requires that the defeat products are insured and packaged well for of shipping. Shipping cost and other reasonable cost will be returned to customer Upon approval from EGing, EGing PV will provide all necessary services and assistance and ensures fast response from the time of claim is launched to the time the claim is settled. ”

It now appears that, although EGing do not have an Australian office, there would be somewhere in Australia you could ship the panels to get considered for replacement – although an Australian address or authorised dealer is not mentioned in their warranty document or on their Australian website. It is our opinion, that without an installer with buying power with EGing it would still be difficult to get a fast response as they suggest.

It is great to see that our reviews are having a positive impact on the offers product manufacturers are presenting to the Australian market – but there is still some way to go for EGing to match some of the more established solar panel brands in Australia.

Take a look at EGing’s warranty policy for yourself!

EGing Solar Panels Pros and Cons

Pros

• EGing PV became the first A-share listed solar cell and module manufacturer to be listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange
• Competitive pricing for reasonable quality
• Products have been utilised on utility scale projects in Europe & Asia

Cons

• No Australian Head Office
• Do not feature on the PV Evolution Labs list as a top performing solar panel.
• Smaller portfolio of completed projects here in Australia

Comparison of EGing Solar Panel Specifications (common modules)

So, Should I Buy EGing Solar Panels?

The short answer is probably not. EGing panels are very cheap compared to their counterparts in the Australian market, but that comes at a cost. This cost is mostly contained in their limited warranty coverage which as it currently stands would lead to a difficult process for a end-consumer. Many of EGings range of solar panels available in Australia utilise older technology and are lower in efficiency than their counterparts, so it would be important to look at the technical specifications of any solar panel you are being offered.

Read more product reviews from Solar Choice