Trina Solar Panels

‍About Trina

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Trina Solar is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of photovoltaic solar panels.

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Founded in 1997 in Changzhou, China, Trina has grown almost exponentially since, shipping over 205 gigawatts (that’s 205,000,000 kilowatts!) of solar panels worldwide - and now exceeding 50gigawatts of panels shipped each year.

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Trina listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in 2020, where it is also headquartered. Trina has a global team of over 50,000 employees and sells their panels in over 170 countries around the world.

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Trina is considered a Tier 1 brand for bankability as rated by Bloomberg. With 2023 revenue in excess of USD$16bn, we consider Trina to be a stable company with a long track record in Australia.

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Trina Vertex S+ Solar Panels: Pros & Cons

Pros

N-type cell technology superior to cheaper and older P-type
Healthy 440W power rating
Dual glass on the front and back for strength and reduced chance of scratches
Long 30 year performance warranty
Budget-friendly price

Cons

Black frame with white backing sheet not as sleek as silhouette panels like Jinko or REC
Warranty not as comprehensive as the likes of REC
If you don’t want panels made in China (but they do make most of the world’s solar panels!)

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Where Are Trina Solar Panels Made?

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Whilst Trina has facilities around the world, most of the Trina solar panels that we have available in Australia (including the Vertex S+) are made at one of their 10 manufacturing bases in China:

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*Trina is a huge global company, manufacturing in dozens of facilities worldwide - but most of the product we see in Australia comes from China.*

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It’s important to consider that China produces the vast majority of the world’s solar panels and that just like your iPhone or television, the Chinese have become world-leaders in advanced manufacturing of solar panels.

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However, if buying a Chinese-made Trina solar panel bothers you then you might consider a brand like REC instead.

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‍Are Trina Solar Panels High Quality?

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Trina is known as a brand that sits at the upper end of the quality spectrum when it comes to budget-friendly solar panels.

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Trina claims to conduct over 200 different in-house quality tests at their research and development centre in China, as well as working with independent third-party testing groups including TUV Rheinland and UL.

N-Type Cell Technology

Trina’s Vertex S+ solar panels feature N-type cell technology. Without getting into a solar panel physics lesson, N-type cells are considered superior to older P-type cells which are still seen in the solar panel market.

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N-type solar panels are usually higher efficiency than P-type, meaning they convert more sunlight to electricity.

‍How Strong Are Trina Solar Panels?

Trina Vertex S+ solar panels feature a 30mm anodised aluminium black frame with two 1.6mm heat strengthened glass layers - one on the front and one on the back. This is different from most solar panels where the glass is typically on the front only.

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Trina claims this dual glass feature increases the strength of the panel, as well as making it more resistant to scratches on the back of the panel - but in our experience this is not really much of a consideration as long as your installer is taking due care!

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When it comes to strength testing, Trina claim their Vertex S+ solar panels will withstand mechanical loads of up to 5,400pa (front) and 4,000pa (rear).

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Trina’s hail testing certification for the Vertex S+ solar panel is not published on the datasheet but we understand that they have been tested to withstand 25mm stones under IEC61215.

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Whilst Trina’s Vertex S+ solar panels are stronger than many on the market, they don’t have the wind loading, hailstone, or extra bracing featured in more premium panels like REC’s Alpha Pure RX.

‍How Efficient Are Trina Solar Panels?

Simply put, solar panel efficiency is a measure of the sunlight converted to electricity.

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Given their superior N-type cell technology over older and more conventional P-type cells, Vertex S+ solar panels are considered to be highly efficient at 22.0% in the 440W version.

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This puts the Vertex S+ into the upper end of the market, and only slightly behind more premium panels like REC’s Alpha Pure RX.

‍How Do Trina Solar Panels Perform?

Given the higher panel efficiency from the N-type cell technology, Trina Vertex S+ solar panels produce huge amounts of solar energy for their size.

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For example, our client Tim in North Rothbury is often achieving as much as 60kW generation on a mostly clear summer or autumn day from his 8.8kW system:

*A very healthy power curve from a mostly clear day, save for a few tiny dips from several passing clouds in the morning.*

But they also perform well on those rarer cruddy weather days - Tim achieved total production of 15-20kW even on this extremely rainy day in early autumn:

*The Vertex S+ panels on Tim's system still made the most of truly awful weather on this early autumn day.*

What's the Warranty on Trina Solar Panels?

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Trina’s global warranty policy is a lengthy read. Simply put, the warranty that Trina offers on their Vertex S+ solar panels is lengthy at 25 years for product and 30 years for performance.

Trina Solar Panel Product Warranty‍

Solar panel product warranties cover you for defects arising from the manufacturing process for a certain time period.

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As mentioned above, Vertex S+ solar panels are covered by Trina for 25 years, but like most budget friendly solar panels this only covers the repair or replacement of the product itself - not the labour for removing and reinstalling it - which can be costly!

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If coverage for the labour side of things is important to you we’d recommend considering REC’s Alpha Pure RX solar panels, which are covered by REC’s ProTrust warranty.

Trina Solar Panel Performance Warranty

All solar panels gradually lose performance over time. Solar panel performance warranties cover you by explicitly guaranteeing for a certain time period that the panel you’ve chosen won’t lose more than a certain amount of performance each year, until that time period elapses.

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The performance of Vertex S+ solar panels is guaranteed by Trina to not degrade more than 1.0% in the first year, and no more than 0.4% for each year thereafter up to year 30.

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This is a better performance degradation guarantee than many more budget panels on the market, but not as low as the likes of some more premium brands like REC’s Alpha Pure RX.‍

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What Do Trina Solar Panels Cost?

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Trina Vertex S+ 440W solar panels retail for approximately $165-$175 each, plus shipping and handling. The Vertex S+ solar panel has an identical length and width to the Jinko Tiger NEO at 1.76m long by 1.13m wide, and a near identical weight at 21.1kg. Depending on where you’re located, shipping can be expensive - they’re shipped on a pallet and unloading usually requires a forklift or a team of strong solar installers!

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Be mindful that simply multiplying the retail price of a solar panel by the number of panels required is not a great indication of the total cost of a solar system, as it doesn’t take into account the inverter, rail, mounting, consumables, and labour components which make up a full installation.

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Given this, the total investment required for a fully-installed solar system with Trina Vertex S+ 440W solar panels will vary significantly depending on the roof type, complexity of the property, whether switchboard works are required, and whether you’d like a battery-ready hybrid inverter.

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We define a standard installation as:

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a single-storey residential dwelling
with a tin or Colorbond roof
no extra switchboard works or tricky inverter placements
inclusive of a premium Sungrow inverter and Clenergy rail/mounting

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Generally speaking, you can expect the total investment for a fully-installed Trina Vertex S+ solar system to start from the following prices for a standard installation:

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9 panels (3.96kW) - $4,300-$4,800
15 panels (6.6kW) - $5,400-$5,900
20 panels (8.8kW) - $7,300-$7,800
24 panels (10.56kW) - $8,300-$8,500
34 panels (14.96kW) - $10,300-$10,800

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The prices above are after the federal government’s STC incentive and are indicative only. As every installation is different, just ask us to receive an itemised and current quote for your property

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