Canadian Solar Inc - Solar Panel Reviews

About Canadian Solar Inc

While Canadian Solar started in Canada and has its headquarters there, all their panels are made in China. This isn’t a problem. China produces some quality products, and Canadian Solar panels are among them.

Their panels are supported by an Australian office in Melbourne. Because they are reliable and have a good track record under Australian conditions, we have no problem recommending them.

Canadian Solar Production

In the middle of 2024, Canadian Solar claimed their total panel production was over 133GW. In 2023, they shipped 31GW of solar panels – around the total amount in service in Australia that year. This massive amount was definitely enough to make them one of the world's largest solar manufacturers.

In addition to solar panels, Canadian Solar also produces solar silicon and solar cells.  This makes them a vertically integrated company.  Most production occurs in China, with none currently in Canada. But in October 2024, they opened a 5GW solar panel assembly plant in Texas and intend to open a similar-sized facility in Indiana. But panels arriving in Australia will be Chinese-made.

Company History

In 1987, the founder of Canadian Solar, Shawn Qu, was earning around $7 a week in today's money teaching in China. This is terrible by our standards.  It's even terrible by modern Chinese standards, as the average pay there is now around $160 a week.  But at the time, it was still better than around a billion of his compatriots.

That year, he moved to Canada and studied to obtain a master’s degree in physics. In 2001, he founded Canadian Solar and in 2002 began production in China. It wasn’t until 2011 that they began producing panels in Canada, but they gave up on that years ago, as it wasn't competitive.

Shawn Qu is still CEO of the company. While a Canadian citizen, he spends most of his time in China. I totally get this because Canada is so cold it’s possible to freeze to death in less time than it takes for a bear to find and eat you.

Like most panel manufacturers, Canadian Solar has had its ups and downs. One major setback was in June 2016 when a cell manufacturing plant they owned in Funing was hit by the worst tornado in China in 50 years, killing two, injuring others, and collapsing almost 4 hectares of factory buildings.

Financial Stability

While there’s no guarantee Canadian Solar won’t run into financial difficulties in the future and go bust, leaving customers without warranty support, at the moment they appear to be in a better financial position than most panel manufacturers. In 2020 they were one of the most bankable solar companies on a list composed by BloombergNEF.  If a company is "bankable" it basically means they’re considered unlikely to go belly up any time soon.

Canadian Solar Panels

The Canadian Solar panel series aimed at the home market is the TOPHiKu6. The "TOP" at the start of its name refers to "TOPCon" which is a type of solar cell technology.  When installed on residential roofs in Australia, these panels have a 25-year product warranty. They also all have 30-year performance warranties. There are three main sorts:

• TOPBiHiKu6 – a bifacial panel
• TOPHiKu6 – a dual glass monofacial panel
• TOPHiKu6 (All Black) – an all-black dual glass monofacial panel

Because these are Canadian Solar’s most up-to-date panels and the ones most likely to go on Australian roofs, I’ll give their details below.

To see the technical details of these panels and compare them to others we recommend, check out our Solar Panel Comparison Table.

Dual Glass Panels

All TOPHiKu6 panels are dual glass.  Instead of having a plastic backsheet and a sheet of glass on top, the solar cells are placed between two layers of glass. The TOPBiHiKu6 is bifacial, which means it can use light hitting it from the front and the rear. The other TOPHiKu6 panels are monofacial and can only use light that hits the front.

In a typical rooftop solar installation, panels are mounted only a few centimeters above the roof surface.  This means very little light can get in from the sides to hit the rear of the panel, so using bifacial panes provides little or no benefit. But it doesn’t hurt to use them.

The all black panel has nothing to do with rugby and simply has a black frame and surface.  Some people prefer their appearance.

Dimensions

All TOPHiKu6 panels are 1.13m wide with lengths that vary from 1.72m to 1.96m.  It's now common for panels to be this large, but their size can make installation on rooftops difficult.  Sometimes using smaller panels will allow more panels in total to be installed, allowing for a solar system with higher total capacity.

High Efficiency

In 2024, I'm happy to call any panel with an efficiency of 22% or more "high efficiency." The TOPHiKu6 bifacial panels can be up to 22.8% efficient, so most of them fall into this category. The monofacial ones can be up to 23.4% efficient, but the all black ones can only manage 23%.

Average Heat Tolerance

Solar panels lose efficiency as they get hotter. The average modern panel has its output reduced by around 0.29% for every degree over 25°C. Canadian Solar’s TOPHiKu6 panels lose exactly this amount. This isn’t bad, but it isn’t exceptional these days.

Temporary Shading Is Tolerated

The Canadian Solar installation manual states their panels cannot be located in permanent shade and specifically states that if a panel suffers a defect due to permanent shade, it warranty will be void.  Temporary shading is acceptable. This is important because it’s common for rooftop solar panels to be shaded early and/or late in the day.

Hail Resistance

The hail-resistance of Canadian Solar panels depends on the specific panel type.  Panels are rated to withstand multiple impacts by hail travelling at 23m/s while suffering less than a 5% reduction in output. The width of the hail they can withstand varies:

• TOPHiKu6 CS6R and CS6.2 can withstand 45mm hail, which is wider than a golf ball.
• TOPHiKu All Black panels can withstand 35mm hail, which is wider than a 50c coin.
• TOPHiKu CS6.1 can withstand 25mm hail, which is the width of a $1 coin.

If hail resistance is important to you, check what they’re rated for on their datasheet. As most panels are only rated for 25mm hail, this makes some Canadian Solar panels much more resistant than average.

Seaside Installation May Be OK

Canadian Solar panels are certified as corrosion-resistant, but for locations near the sea, they recommend anti-corrosion measures be taken during installation and recommend contacting them for more information if required.

15° Tilt Recommended

So rain can effectively wash them clean, Canadian Solar recommends panels be installed at a tilt of at least 15°.  Usually, panels with at least 10° tilt will be adequately cleaned by rain alone.  But at a tilt less than this they may need regular cleaning.

Performance Warranty

Performance warranties promise panel output won’t deteriorate over time by more than a set amount. The TOPHiKu6 panels all have 30-year performance warranties. They allow for up to 1% decline in their first year and then a 0.4% decline from their original rating in each subsequent year. While there are other modern panels with similar performance warranties, it’s still very good.

Product Warranty

The product warranty covers defects in panel materials and manufacture. If a panel stops working for no external reason, it should be covered by its product warranty. When installed residentially, TOPHiKu6 panels have 25-year product warranties.

Warranty Procedure

If you have a problem with your panels, you should first contact your installer. But if they’re no longer around you can make a warranty claim directly from Canadian Solar. Their customer service number in Australia is 03 8609 1844.  Affected customers should contact this line for assistance and advice on how to arrange for panel replacement under warranty.

We Recommend Canadian Solar Panels

In the SolarQuotes 2024 Installers Choice Awards, Canadian Solar panels took third place for Best Value Solar Panels. In the 2022 Installer’s Choice Awards, they also took third place in the same category in a tie with QCELLS. This indicates that installers like them.  Canadian Solar produces reliable solar panels and – provided you get the right ones – have long product and performance warranties when installed residentially. As they’re well supported in Australia, we have no problem recommending them.

If you have Canadian Solar panels and would like to let people know what you think of them, please feel free to leave a review. The information will be appreciated.