Opal Solar solar panels reviews

Opal Solar Panels

Opal panels are manufactured in China by Astronergy and supplied by the Australian company SolarJuice. They come with a 10 year product warranty and have a 25 year performance warranty.

Because SolarJuice is the importer of Opal panels, they are responsible for the warranty that is offered and not Astroenergy. As far as Australian households are concerned, the buck stops with SolarJuice.

The SolarJuice Company

SolarJuice is a large Australian solar hardware distributor that was founded in 2009. They supply solar panels, inverters, LG Chem Resu battery systems, and other equipment to solar installers. Their head office is in Wetherill Park in Sydney.

In 2015 the Chinese company SPI purchased 80% of SolarJuice.

So Why Not Just Buy Astronergy Panels?

If they are produced by Astronergy and appear to be of similar quality to their other panels, then why not just buy Astronergy panels? Well, it basically comes down to who you would prefer to be on the hook for the warranty. A Chinese owned company that’s all the way off in China or a Chinese owned company based in Australia.

SolarJuice Is A Little Confused Over What Tier One Means

One their website, SolarJuice states:

“OPAL Solar is a premium Tier 1 product on the basis of the local support, independent quality control, independent factory acceptance testing and technical support in Australia.”

Well, that’s nice, but that’s not actually what determines if a panel is tier one. It is determined by whether or not large banks regard a brand of panels as being reliable enough to lend money to large projects that use them. If SolarJuice wants to convince me they’re tier one they should include some financial information.

Opal Panel Details

The datasheet for Opal solar panels can be downloaded here.

Opal Panel Prices Are Competitive

Currently in March 2021 Opal panels are selling a cost per watt that is a little under Jinko Solar, which is usually the price leader for tier one panels. Opal also has the advantage of having a product warranty backed by a company based in Australia rather than one backed by a company based in China.

Of course, just which company is most likely to still be around in 10 years time is something you’ll have to decide for yourself.

Opal OSO Solar Panels De-Listed

On March 1, 2021, The Clean Energy Council (CEC) announced the OSO range of Opal panels from Solar Juice Pty Ltd will be de-listed from its approved products list on 10 March 2021 due to a failure to meet the specified power rating in CEC testing. This situation means that past this date, new system installations using the OSO range of Opal panels will not be eligible for Australia's solar rebate.

Warranty Procedure For Orphaned Opal Customers

If you have purchased Opal Solar panels from a solar installer who has since gone out of business, the responsibility for warranty claims shifts to Solar Juice, who are the importer. Their customer service line in Australia is 02 9725 1111. Solar Juice have advised that they will walk customers through the warranty claim procedure, and that labor costs involved with panel replacement are not covered under warranty.