Solars

The best solar panels in our past tests

At a glance: what we found in our solar panel tests up to 2019.
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Last updated: 20 Dec 2022
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CHOICE partnered with the CSIRO from 2015 to 2019 to test solar panels from Opal, LG, JA Solar, Suntech and more. The results from those tests are summarised in this article.

As of 2022 we have since begun a new round of solar panel tests with a new partner, PV Lab Australia.

We also surveyed CHOICE members in 2018 about their home solar PV systems to find out about their experience with various solar technologies, solar installers and energy companies.

Read more:
Should you get solar? Five key questions answered

Which solar panels did best in the CSIRO tests?

Chris Barnes – solar expert

We recommended panels that score 80% or more. But the other solar panels in our test also performed well, scoring at least 75%.

Note that all these panels have long since been superseded by newer and better-performing models.

Previously tested solar panels in order of CHOICE score
JA Solar JAP6-60-255/3BB 82%
Tindo Karra-270 82%
Trina TSM-270PD05 82%
Jinko JKM270PP-60 81%
Winaico WST-285P6 80%
JA Solar JAM60S01-285/SC 78%
LG LG300S1C-A5 78%
Suntech STP300S-20/Wfm 77%
Opal QSA300M-60-S 76%
Yingli YL270P-29b 76%
Opal QSA270P-60-S 75%

For our latest reviews of currently available panels, see our solar panel reviews.

What our members told us

We surveyed more than 1000 CHOICE members across Australia in 2018 about their experience buying and owning a solar system.

The most commonly owned solar panel brands were Suntech, Trina, LG, Jinko and Sunpower.

Although 33% reported having problems with their solar system, only 2% reported problems with the panels themselves.

Read more:
Survey results: Are you happy with your solar panels?
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Chris Barnes

Chris Barnes is a Senior Project Officer. He manages the product reviews that are done outside of CHOICE with external labs or data sources. This includes solar panels, electric heaters, air purifiers and detergents. Chris also manages our testing services through our commercial arm, Test Research, and he is CHOICE's NATA authorised representative for our lab's formal accreditations. Chris is involved with the standards committee for air conditioners. And he works with government and industry in areas such as product safety and regulation. In over 20 years at CHOICE, Chris has managed lab teams for a wide range of products, including children's products, kitchen appliances, laundry appliances, garden power tools and more. Chris has a Science degree from the University of Sydney.

Chris Barnes is a Senior Project Officer. He manages the product reviews that are done outside of CHOICE with external labs or data sources. This includes solar panels, electric heaters, air purifiers and detergents. Chris also manages our testing services through our commercial arm, Test Research, and he is CHOICE's NATA authorised representative for our lab's formal accreditations. Chris is involved with the standards committee for air conditioners. And he works with government and industry in areas such as product safety and regulation. In over 20 years at CHOICE, Chris has managed lab teams for a wide range of products, including children's products, kitchen appliances, laundry appliances, garden power tools and more. Chris has a Science degree from the University of Sydney.