LONGi Solar Panels: An Insight

An informative scoop on the Chinese LONGi Solar panel manufacturer's history and the points of difference in using their products.

Company History

LONGi Solar was founded in February 2000 as Xi’an LONGi Silicon Materials Corporation. The company’s initial focus was on the development and production of single crystal (mono) silicon wafers that are used in many of major solar panels. They have 9 manufacturing plants, 7 of them are located in China, and the other two are located in Vietnam and Malaysia.

LONGi was the only Solar Panel manufacturer to be named AAA-rated by the PV Module Tech Bankability Ratings in the Q3 2020 rankings. Their production capacity for wafers and modules keeps the first position in the world, it had reached 105GW and 60GW respectively by the end of 2021.

LONGi Solar Panels entered the Australian market in 2017 and have since captured a significant portion of the market share. In September 2022, LONGi announced that they had broken the new world record of conversion efficiency of 26.12% for its p-type silicon heterojunction (HJT) cells.

Key Indicators

What is a Bloomberg Tier 1 Solar Panel?

Bloomberg’s infamous tier 1 ranking is NOT a measure of Solar Panel quality in any way. It is simply an indication of the bankability of the manufacturer based on publicly released information on the financial health the company. This should give you an idea if the company is a large, well-known manufacturer.

What is PV Evolution Labs Top Performer?

PV Evolution Labs with support from DNV GL independently test solar panel reliability. The tests are voluntary, with solar panel manufacturers paying to participate in the testing. This testing process is internationally renowned and is an accurate reflection of the solar panel’s performance.

Why is office location in Australia Important?

Most solar panel manufacturers entering the Australian market first set up their distribution channels and worry about customer service later. This has led to many unhappy customers who are left trying to contact Chinese head offices to claim on their 10-year product warranty.

Relying on your solar installer is not always an option as we’ve seen many residential solar installers (including the large ones) go out of business well within the lifetime of the systems they are installing

LONGi Solar Panels - Points of Difference

The Largest Solar Panel Manufacturer in the World

LONGi’s technological and manufacturing not just focus on solar modules but also on the selling solar wafers and cells to other solar manufacturers. According to data from Bloomberg, LONGi Solar has been at the largest solar panel manufacturer since 2020.

Their annual production capacity is reported to be 105GW for silicon wafers and 60GW for solar panels Q2 2022.

Vertically Integrated Solar PV Value Chain

LONGi owns most steps in the vertical supply chain to produce a solar panel including producing ingots, silicon wafers and solar cells. This strategy enables them to keep greater control over the supply and quality of each step of the process.

Many other solar panel brands acquire silicon wafers or solar cells from LONGi and pick up the process from there

LONGi only produces monocrystalline PERC solar panels as they have been focused on producing single crystal (mono) silicon wafers since the early 2000s. LONGi’s modules fit into the mid-tier of solar panels that are high quality but don’t offer 25 year product warranties and a premium price. Generally their panels have higher efficiency due to leading cell technology than their competition at a similar price range.

LONGi Solar Panel Technologies

LONGi Solar currently has 149 solar panels approved by the Clean Energy Council in Australia under the name “LONGi Green Energy Technology Co Ltd”. This is a requirement to be eligible for the federal STC solar rebate.

LONGi has two main series of solar panels: Hi-MO 4, and Hi-MO 5, which have a variety of different options to suit residential, commercial and utility-scale projects.

Hi-MO 4 Series

The Hi-MO 4 series uses gallium-doped silicon cells which improves the solar panels resistance to LID. In simple terms the amount of power the panel will produce will remain higher over time than most other panels with an annual degradation rate of 0.55% per year (typically 0.7%). These solar panels also offer a 12-year product warranty which is in line with most of the options on the market.

Hi-MO 5 Series

The Hi-Mo 5 series is LONGi’s latest offer in the market and with a slightly improved solar panel efficiency it can offer customers more power whilst using up the same amount of space on the roof.

LONGi have also increased the working current within the panels to 13amps (from 11amps in the Hi-MO 4m series) which is better suited to the mainstream string inverters that are available.

This range includes the traditional colors and an ‘all-black’ option like the Hi-MO4 series

The series also offers an ‘all black’ option where the solar cells and aluminum frame are black to offer customers a more aesthetically pleasing solution for their roof.

LONGi’s Warranty Offer for Australian Customers

Solar panels in the Australian market come with a performance warranty and a product warranty. The product warranty is probably the more important one as it covers manufacturing defects and most problems experienced with solar panels. LONGi offers 12 years for their product warranty on their panels that are sold in Australia which is on par with most options in the market.

Looking through LONGi’s warranty documentation, there is a clearly documented process to claim a warranty and adequate remedies available after an assessment has been made. Given LONGi have an Australian office to assist with this process, this is one of the better options available in the market.

The performance warranty for solar panels guarantees a maximum rate at which the solar panel will degrade over time. LONGi guarantees that their solar panels will degrade no more than 2% in the first year and then no more than 0.55% for the following 24 years. This gives them a slight edge of many of their competitors who typically offer (2.5% in year 1 and 0.7% thereafter).

Over time we would expect LONGi solar panels to slightly outperform other cost-effective brands, however making a claim against the performance warranty for a residential customer is difficult without high quality monitoring equipment.

LONGi Solar Panel Specifications (common modules)

So, are LONGi Solar Panels a good option for me?

LONGi Solar Panels are a great reliable option for a customer looking for an affordable mid-range panel from a company with a solid financial backing and reputation. Given their size, if your solar installer goes out of business, you have a very good chance of claiming warranty directly from the LONGi as they are established in Australia and are the biggest manufacturer in the world.

By Hugh Speck for Sunflex Solar.