Chinese PV manufacturing goliath Longi has declared there can be only one Australian distributor of its solar panels for the residential and small commercial & industrial sectors.
Currently, Longi lists seven Australian distributors – BayWa r.e., Krannich, Marubeni, One Stop Warehouse, SolarJuice, Tradezone and Raystech. But from 2025, Raystech will become the sole distributor of Longi’s solar modules in Australia for the home and C&I markets.
Raystech, a solar component wholesaler founded in 2017 (or 2018, or 2019 depending on who you ask), currently sells PV modules from Astronergy, JinkoSolar, REC, Seraphim and Longi. But under the agreement, it will only carry Longi products in its solar panel stable.
Longi says the arrangement will see improved supply chain efficiency, simplify offerings for installers and end-users, and enhance customer experience.
“Our exclusive agreement with Raystech reflects our commitment to delivering consistent quality and service to the Australian market,” said Longi Chairman Zhong Baoshen. “Together, we will set new benchmarks for innovation, reliability, and customer satisfaction.”
Raystech Chairman Mark Miao seems pretty confident about putting all Raystech’s solar panel eggs into one basket.
“LONGi has always been at the forefront of technological advancements,” he said. “This partnership exemplifies the power of collaboration, bringing our shared vision for a sustainable energy future to life.”
HPBC 2.0 Modules Heading Our Way
Longi has also said its HPBC (hybrid passivated back contact) 2.0 cell- based modules will launch in Australia in 2025. The firms says HPBC 2.0 mass production cell efficiency exceeds 26.6% and incorporates Longi’s TaiRay silicon wafers, which the company states significantly reduces PV cell degradation.
“Compared to TOPCon modules, HPBC 2.0 products exhibit superior resistance to UV, damp heat, and thermal cycling,” says the company. “They feature a temperature coefficient of -0.26%/°C, an improvement of 0.03%/°C over TOPCon.”
An Australian Favourite
The company’s solar panels have been quite popular in Australia – they are pretty cheap, and pretty good. Longi solar panel reviews on SolarQuotes from Australian customers have been generally positive, with the firm scoring an average 4.9 stars from more than 2,000 ratings overall, and 5-stars over the last 12 months (1,000+ ratings).
But the brand was a no-show on the winners podium in this year’s SolarQuotes Installers Choice Awards; with Trina, Jinko and Canadian Solar getting the gongs for the best solar panels in 2024 in the budget category.
Longi is currently listed on SQ’s recommended solar panel brands chart.
Longi Struggles In 2024
Founded in 2000, Longi Green Energy Technology Co., Ltd. is a vertically integrated manufacturer; producing solar wafers, cells and modules. From January to September this year, the company shipped 82.80GW of wafers (including 35.03GW for external sales), had external sales of 4.16GW for monocrystalline cells and achieved module shipments of 51.23GW.
Revenue has been well down – CNY 58.593 billion for the year to September’s end, which was down a whopping 37.73% year-over-year. But it’s not alone, with most if not all major Chinese panel makers doing in tough in the face of particularly fierce pricing competition. In response to market fluctuations, Longi says it had strategically adjusted its product shipments.
By the end of last year, the company’s self-owned silicon wafer production capacity hit 170 GW, cell production capacity was 80 GW, and module production capacity reached 120 GW.
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