Solar Controller (cheap china)
I started w/ accidently getting the winning bid on a $130 100 watt panel. So then I had to buy a cheap china $11 10 amp controller, right ? It all worked great, so great infact, I bought another nea...
Forum Discussion
joeprinter wrote:
Recently ordered solar panels total of, 350W from yes.. China, still with the cost of shipping, the USA cant come close. I always try to buy USA first, lets remember 80% of solar panels originate from China, so why not cut out the middle man (vender) an save a buck or two.
It's not about buy USA. Manufacturers are leaving us no choice, moving factories to China. It's about buying a good brand or no-name. There are good panel brands - Chinese domestic brands or other (mostly European and Japanese, either one could be made in China as well). And then there are no-good brands, no-name, or brands so new that nobody knows them - they all have some name, of course.
Here is the difference - graph at the bottom of this page.
Top 3 are German brand Solar World (US made), and Chinese brand Trina Mono, Trina Poly. I've always been saying that Trina is a "good one". Now look at few other panels. Note that this is a warranty, actual degradation will not have steep drops. But if you average over those drops, the graphs will be below SW or Trina - they don't even guarantee performance better than 90% after 1 year. The one named Standard is not a brand, and denotes a warranty typical for many panels, including some brands. In the end, after 25 years, looks like there is no difference, but the graph doesn't extend beyond 25 years. Will it not drop again on the year 26 or 27, do you want to bet? :) Well, it's your money...
