Trina Solar PV Panel Review – Prices, Guarantee, Efficiency & Performance
With a current shipment of 1.9 gigawatts worth of solar cells and modules (panels) to its name this year China’s Trina Solar has become the second largest manufacturer of solar PV in the world as of 2011 and looks set to better that as a result of its continuing development of solar technology and its own company investment and partnerships in new global markets.
Founded in 1997, Trina Solar produces solar panels for residential, commercial and industrial use and is on the verge of claiming 10% of the solar energy market worldwide by the end of 2011. Trina Solar feature heavily in the U.S., Australia, China and Japan and also have offices in Germany, Switzerland, South Korea, Italy and Spain.
The company recently signed a deal with Australia National University to develop 20% efficiency monocrystalline modules, as well as its new Trinamount mounting systems in a bid to cut the overall costs of their system installations.
Trina Solar have also recently raised the factory warranties on their products from 5 years to 10, and have introduced a 25-year “linear performance” warranty on their modules.
Listed on the New York Stock Exchange since 2006, Trina Solar are one of the few vertically-integrated PV companies in existence today working at the development and production of ingots, wafers and cells right through to the manufacture of complete module systems, all of which are independently certified as standard.
Renowned for their quality, Trina Solar modules are rigorously precision-tested at the company’s own “Centre for Excellence” – a 7,200 sq metre facility that provides product certification processes, material reliability tests, and highly accelerated stress tests. These stringent tests look analyse the effects of damp heat, thermal cycle, humidity freeze, thermal shock, and UV exposure to ensure Trina Solar modules withstand prolonged exposure in extreme climate conditions.
As they are quick to declare on their official website, “Choosing Trina Solar isn’t just a quality purchase; it’s a sound investment.”
And few could deny that.
Trina Solar Panels
TSM-DC01A (195 watts) designed for residential and small commercial properties. The optimized corners enlarge the module’s energy generating surface by 4.2%. Trina Solar’s best-selling panel at this wattage with an efficiency score of up to 14.5%.
TSM–PC05 (225-245 watts) this is currently Trina Solar’s most popular panel and is recommended for large scale installations. Comes with 25-year performance guarantee of 80% power production.
TSM–PC14 (265-285 watts) this panel is mainly for utility-scale installations.
TSM–DC80 (210 watts) the latest addition and best value residential and commercial panel in the Trina Solar portfolio. Using in-house “Quadmax” technology this module is said to have 8% more power output than conventional panels. It also has an efficiency rating of up to 16.4%.
Trina Solar panels are available in the United Kingdom ranging from £265-£780 per module/panel.