Suntech Power solar panel

Suntech Power is a Chinese company that makes tier 1 solar panels with a 15-year warranty on the product and a 25-year warranty on how well it works. They have an office in North Sydney, Australia.

Suntech is unique because it is the only big solar panel company in the world that was started by an Australian.

Solar Panel Production

Shi Zhengrong started Suntech Power in 2001. It grew quickly and by 2011 had the capacity to make 2.4 gigawatts of solar panels, making it the largest solar panel manufacturer in the world. But the company hasn’t grown much since then because it has had a lot of money problems. In 2018, it shipped about 3GW of solar panels.

About the company

Shi Zhengrong was born in 1963 in a small city in China called Yangzhong, which is 200 km north-west of Shanghai and right next to the big brass puffer fish. Because they were so poor, his parents kept his twin brother and gave him up for adoption. You might think that his parents would be sorry they didn’t keep the one who became a billionaire, but it turns out that his brother also did well in business. But I don’t know if his business also came crashing down around him or not.

Shi Zhengrong went to school at Shanghai University and got a Masters in “lasers.” Then, he went to the University of New South Wales to study and got a Ph.D. in electrical engineering. He became an Australian citizen, and when he couldn’t find investors or government help in Australia, he went back to China in 2001 to start Suntech.

The company grew quickly and became a world leader in solar technology. In August 2009, they broke the record for both polycrystalline and monocrystalline solar cell efficiency. In 2011, they made more solar panels than anyone else in the world.

But Suntech’s finances started to get worse in 2008. By March 2013, they were the first mainland China company to default on their US bonds, making them the worst company in the world from a financial point of view. At the time, the bonds were worth $541 million US dollars, and soon after, the company went bankrupt. Shi Zhengrong had to give up his job as Chairman and CEO.

Suntech Solar Panel Technologies

Under the name “Wuxi Suntech Power Co Ltd,” 108 solar panels made by Suntech have been approved by the Clean Energy Council in Australia. To be eligible for the federal STC solar rebate, you must do this.

At the moment, Suntech has three series for home users in Australia: the Ultra V Mini, the Ultra S Mini, and the HIPower series. For commercial projects, they have the Ultra X, Ultra V, and Ultra S options, which are bigger, make more power, and use less energy.

Ultra V

Ultra V Mini is the most recent solar product from Suntech to be sold in Australia. There are solar modules in the Ultra V Mini Series that range from 390Wp to 430Wp and have a maximum efficiency of up to 22.3% (STP435S-C54/Umhm). All of the panels use PERC technology and have 108 half-cut monocrystalline silicon cells. The panels are 1722mm x 1134mm, which is smaller than most.

This series also has a “all black” option for customers who want a roof that looks good.

Ultra S

This series is similar to Ultra V Mini. The biggest difference is that Ultra S panels are 120-cell solar modules that have been cut in half, giving them an extra 12 half cells. Even though the Ultra S Mini has more cells, it has a lower output of 370Wp to 390Wp and a maximum efficiency of only 20.3%.

The prestigious VDE certification was given to Suntech panels.

VDE is a large German organization that is, among other things, a standards body. It came up with a strict way to test solar panels by simulating how they would work in harsh conditions for decades. Suntech was the third company in the world to make solar panels that passed the test and were certified by VDE.

Suntech’s warranty policy for customers

If you bought Suntech panels from a solar installer that is no longer in business, Suntech is now responsible for warranty claims. Suntech has told customers that they can connect them with installers who can figure out what’s wrong with the panels and do any warranty replacement work. The warranty covers the cost of labor to replace a panel, which is $120 for the first panel and $60 for each panel after that.

Summary

Suntech makes panels that are reliable and in the top tier, so I wouldn’t mind putting them on my roof. Even though they had some money problems in the past, they seem to have gotten through them and are now in a pretty good financial position. And because their panels are reliable, you should never have to make a warranty claim.