Home solar buyers in Australia will soon have another choice in high power panels more towards the budget end of the spectrum – Canadian Solar’s 420W HiKu6 CS6R-MS.
Early today, the company announced it had kicked off mass production of its new CS6R-MS module type, which is part of the Hiku6 series and geared towards residential, commercial and industrial rooftop solar system installations. When we’ll see these panels on Australian shores isn’t clear, but Canadian Solar says the CS6R-MS has already started shipping.
“I am excited to announce that we have started mass production and delivered the first batch of the 54-cell modules of up to 420 W based on 182 mm PERC cells,” said Canadian Solar Chairman and CEO Dr. Shawn Qu. ” Our new products will further improve the energy yield and reduce the LCOE of residential, commercial, and industrial rooftop solar systems, and meanwhile enable to offset more CO2 emissions.”
The HiKu6 CS6R-MS line offers capacities of 395W, 400W, 405W, 410W, 415W and 420W – but let’s take a look at just at the big end of town.
HiKu6 CS6R-MS 420 Watt Panel Specifications
- Capacity: 420W
- Cell type: Monocrystalline PERC
- Power Tolerance: 0 ~ + 10 W
- Efficiency: 21.5%
- Temperature coefficient (Pmax): -0.34 % / °C
- Dimensions: 1722 ˣ 1134 ˣ 30 mm
- Weight: 21.3 kg
- Warranty: 12 year product and 25-year performance*
Full specifications of the 420 Watt panel and other HiKu6 CS6R-MS modules can be viewed here.
*Just a note on the warranty – the Australian datasheet indicates a 12 year product warranty, while the company’s warranty document indicates 12 years on most CS6R-MS models, but 25 years on the black frame or all black module. It’s a little confusing as the company’s announcement regarding the HiKu6 CS6R-MS specifically mentioned a 25-year product warranty for residential applications.
Dr. Qu also noted CS6R modules with N-type HJT cells will be ready next month. That range will have a module efficiency of up to 22.5% and power output of up to 440 W. “HJT” refers to heterojunction technology, which involves crystalline silicon cells featuring layers of amorphous thin-film silicon above and below. As for “N-type”, SQ’s Ronald explains the difference between P-type and N-type cells here.
More On Canadian Solar
Founded in 2001 and publicly listed on the NASDAQ since 2006, Canadian Solar not only manufactures solar panels but also develops utility-scale solar power and battery storage projects. The company says it has delivered more than 63 GW of panels to customers across the world.
The company’s panels have been a popular choice for residential installations in Australia. Canadian Solar panel reviews from Australian customers here on SolarQuotes have seen the brand averaging 4.7 stars overall based on 1,566 ratings at the time of publishing, and 4.9 stars over the last 6 and 12 months
The company is currently listed on SolarQuotes recommended solar panel brands chart and achieved equal third in the 2022 SolarQuotes Installers’ Choice Awards’ best value panels category.
You can compare Canadian Solar modules with a bunch of other brands on SQ’s solar panel comparison table (CS6R modules not yet added at the time of publishing)
Trivia: While the company’s name would understandably lead some to believe the panels are made in Canada, Canadian Solar panels purchased in Australia are most likely manufactured in China. There’s nothing wrong with that – China cranks out some very good quality PV – but it’s just good to know.
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