Tindo Solar: Out With The Old, In With The New

Australian solar panel manufacturer Tindo Solar has begun decommissioning its current factory and is readying to commence operations in its new plant.

The word “Tindo” is a Kaurna Warra Aboriginal word translating to ‘the Sun’. The Kaurna people’s traditional lands incorporate the Adelaide Plains region where Tindo’s facility is located.

The original factory at Mawson Lakes in Adelaide’s north has been producing solar panels for the last decade. During that period, hundreds of thousands of panels have been manufactured for Australian and export markets.

The new  factory, situated adjacent to the existing facility, will be capable of producing twice the output of the old factory. It is also equipped to make panels utilising  M10 wafer (182 mm x 182 mm) based solar cells, which replaces the current G1 format (158.7 mm x 158.7 mm). It has been previously reported a 550 W module featuring M10 technology will be among the first panels to roll off the new production line.

In June, Tindo received a $1 million grant from the Federal Government’s Manufacturing Modernisation Fund (MMF) to support the new facility. The MMF invests in new manufacturing technologies boosting productivity, creating new jobs and driving economic growth.

It’s expected decommissioning of the current facility will take around a week as of last Friday. It’s not clear what the future is for the old facility.

Tindo Solar An Australian Success Story

While not a major player in the module manufacturing game on a global basis, the fact Tindo Solar has not only survived but thrived in the face of so much competition says a lot about the company.

Tindo has some high-profile clients in its portfolio, including Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service. A QPWS program saw Remote Area Power Systems (RAPS) replaced using Tindo’s panels at five National Park Ranger Bases over the 2020/21 financial year.  The company’s modules were also chosen by Dubbo Regional Council for PV installations on seven facilities, including the Dubbo Civic Administration building.

Tindo solar panel reviews here on SolarQuotes from Australian customers who have the modules installed have generally been very favourable, and the firm is currently listed on SQ’s recommended solar panels chart.

If your mind is set on buying panels manufactured in Australia, Tindo Solar is the only Australian-made panel SolarQuotes Founder Finn would currently recommend to a friend. Just bear in mind Tindo panels are pricier than some other brands, but that’s to be expected for locally produced high quality modules.

If you’re interested in seeing the performance of a well-established Tindo system operating in real-world conditions – and often quite harsh conditions – check out this page on the Desert Knowledge Australia Solar Centre (DKASC) web site. It tracks the performance of a 5.5kW Tindo based system installed back in 2016 consisting of 22 x Tindo Karra 250W panels and 22 Enphase microinverters (S270 model).

The DKASC is located at the Desert Knowledge Precinct in Alice Springs and has acted as a test bed for dozens of different brands.