Aiko Solar - Solar Panel Reviews

About Aiko Solar

AIKO Solar

Aiko Solar is a Chinese producer of solar cells that has expanded into manufacturing solar panels. They launched in Australia in March 2024 and have a Melbourne office.

Aiko panels have:

• High efficiency
• The ability to handle partial shading better than most panels
• A low rate of degradation according to their performance warranties
• Product warranties of 15 or 25 years

These features mean they will set you back more than lower cost reliable panels. But for what you get, they are very competitively priced.

Australian Office

Aiko Solar has an Australian office in Melbourne. This is important because if something goes wrong and your installer is no longer around, you can make a warranty claim directly from the manufacturer.

It’s hard to find their office address and phone numbers on their site, so I’ve put their details below:

Aiko Solar
Level 12, 360 Elizabeth Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
(03) 5219 2402
1300 245 628

Company Info

Aiko Solar was founded in 2009. Its full name is Shanghai Aiko Solar Energy Co. Ltd. While Aiko is a Japanese name, the company is Chinese and no more a Japanese company than Sharp is a British one because its name is an English word.

For its first 13 years, Aiko pumped out ever-increasing amounts of solar cells and in 2024, they claimed to have produced over 130GW of them. In 2022, they also began manufacturing solar panels, and in 2023, they began making ones with an efficiency of over 24%.

Aiko Panels - 3 Series

As of August 2024, Aiko Solar has three different series of solar panels displayed on their website:

• Neostar
• Comet
• Stellar

Because the Comet and Stellar panels are over 2.3m long, the smaller and easier to handle 1.76m Neostars are the series most likely to go on roofs.

All Aiko panels have similar characteristics as they all use n-type silicon with Interdigitated Back Contact solar cells. Aiko calls them their ABC cells, which stands for All Back Contact.

Monofacial or Bifacial

Aiko makes monofacial and bifacial panels. Monofacial ones use light that strikes the front of the panel, while bifacial ones can use light from the front and back. The Neostar and Comet panels come in both types, while Stellar panels are all bifacial.

In a normal rooftop system, solar panels are installed only cm above the roof.  This means very little light can get in from the sides, so using bifacial panels provides little or no benefit.  So watch out for installers who give overly optimistic estimates for bifacial panels used for normal rooftop solar. But if bifacial panels are installed in tilt frames that allow light to hit them from behind, it can increase output.

High Efficiency

The efficiency of Aiko panels ranges from 22.1% to 24.3%. This makes them high-efficiency panels. Lower-cost reliable panels will typically have efficiencies from 20% to 22%.

The Neostar series, which usually goes on roofs, contains Aiko Solar’s highest efficiency panel and also its lowest.   

Good Heat Tolerance

Panels lose efficiency as they get hotter. All Aiko panels reduce their output by 0.26% for each degree they go above 25°C. In a a heatwave when they reach 60°C, they will have their output reduced by 9.1% compared to a cool winter’s day when they’re at 25°C. This is significantly better than average, with reliable lower-cost panels typically losing around 0.3% for each degree over 25°C.  One of these panels at 60°C would have its output reduced by 10.5% compared to when it's at 25°C.

Handles Shade Well

All Aiko panels have Interdigitated Back Contact cells. These are not new. They were invented around 50 years ago and have been used in commercially available panels for around 40 years. But in the past, you had to pay a hefty premium, while Aiko panels are quite affordable.

Aiko calls these ABC cells, which stands for All Back Contact. They have the advantage of not needing fine wires called busbars and fingers on the front of the cell. This can improve reliability as there are no wires on the front of cells that could be damaged and it improves efficiency, as there’s nothing blocking sunlight.

They also reduce the effects of shade on the panels. Most panels have three bypass diodes and when one or two solar cells are shaded, it can cause all the solar cells on that string to be bypassed.  This can cause the output of the panel to be reduced by one-third.  But Aiko panels can bypass individual cells that are shaded.  It doesn't work perfectly and some energy is lost as heat, but it can reduce losses compared to conventional panels, as this Aiko Solar video shows.

Because less energy is lost as heat due to shading, it reduces the temperature of hotspots caused by partial shading or damaged cells. This is useful, as these hotspots can cause panel deterioration.

Unlike many solar panel warranties, Aiko's does not specifically state their panels cannot be located where they will suffer shading.

Hail Resistance

Akio panels are certified to resist being struck multiple times with 40mm hail at a velocity of 27.5m/s while suffering less than a 5% deterioration.  This means they can survive being hit by normal hail that's just under the 42.67mm width of a golf ball without damage.

They Don't Like The Beach

The installation manual for Aiko monofacial panels - which currently is not available on their website - says panels located within 500m of the seashore will need their frames and related components to have anti-corrosion treatment. 

Don't Lay Them Flat

Aiko recommends their panels be installed at a tilt of at least 10°. 

Dimensions

Aiko panels have the following dimensions:

• Neostar: 1757x1134mm
• Comet: 2323x1134mm
• Stellar: 2382x1134mm

Generally speaking, smaller panels are easier to fit on roofs, so Neostar panels will be the ones most often used for residential solar.

No Silver

Most solar panels use a small amount of silver, but Aiko Solar says their panels use none. This is thanks to their ABC cells not requiring it.

Appearance

Most Aiko panels have a conventional appearance, but four of their five Neostar panels are all black. While some like the appearance of all-black panels, the conventional-looking Neostar panel has the highest efficiency.

Product Warranty – 15 or 25 Years

The product warranty covers defects in construction and materials. Neostar panels have a 25-year product warranty, while Comet and Stellar panels have 15 years.  I generally recommend getting panels with a 25 year or longer product warranty for peace of mind.

Performance Warranty - 30 Years

Solar panels can slowly decline in performance over time. Their performance warranties state the maximum amount they can deteriorate.

All Aiko panels have a 30-year performance warranty that allows for a maximum of 1% decline in the first year, followed by a decline of 0.35% from its original rating each subsequent year. This means that after 25 years, they’ll have at least 90.6% of their original capacity, and after 30 years, at least 88.85%.

This low rate of degradation is better than most good quality panels, which now typically allow a 1% decline in the first year followed by a 0.4% annual decline.  This higher rate allows them to decline to 87.4% of their original capacity after 30 years.

Conclusion

Aiko Solar produces panels with high efficiency, a low rate of deterioration, and excellent shade resistance at very competitive prices. Only a few years ago, you’d need to pay a small fortune for something similar. Based on reports from solar installers we trust, we have included Aiko Solar on our recommended panel chart. If you are looking for a low-cost shade-tolerant panel – and don’t mind using ones that have only been installed in Australia for a short time – then we have no trouble recommending Aiko panels.