Australia’s only solar manufacturer launches its most powerful rooftop module yet

Tindo Solar, Australia’s only local solar panel manufacturer, has this week released its largest-ever rooftop product, the 410W Karra panel, which has been tested to produce power at around 21% module efficiency and 23.1% cell efficiency.

Launched on Wednesday, Tindo’s Karra panel was recently certified for sale and STC rebates and has been designed in direct response to the Australian market’s increasing willingness to invest in their own power systems.

“Five years ago, Australians wanted solar power on their roofs, and the rebates and feed-in tariffs were designed to drive installations,” said Tindo CEO Shayne Jaenisch.

“Now, the market is more focused on solar PV with battery, VPPs, and a power supply with the most efficient and reliable output.”

Set to be manufactured at the company’s new 150MW factory at Mawson Lakes in Adelaide alongside the company’s M10 solar cell, the 410W Karra panel comes with a 25-year product warranty, and an end-of-life recycling guarantee, via Tindo Solar’s partnership with Reclaim PV.

Jaenisch says the new Karra panel has been evaluated by TUV SUD Korea and has the lowest cell-to-module (CTM) loss ratio of an Australian-made solar module.

TUV engineers also confirmed that the panels produced power at around 21% module efficiency and 23.1% cell efficiency and recorded just 0.07% CTM loss. This is compared to an industry average energy efficiency for a solar module between 17 and 19% and an average CTM loss of 2-3%.

“We should be proud that in Australia we have the engineers and the technical skills to commercially produce one of the highest-performing solar panels in the world, right here in Adelaide,” Jaenisch said.

“If Australia is going to lead the world in the energy transition, we have to develop a sovereign capability in renewables.”

The upsized Karra panel is also Tindo Solar’s response to growing local demand for ethically and sustainably produced modules in Australia’s rooftop solar market.

“Australians are serious about recycling and forced labour,” said Jaenisch. “We use a global assurance firm to audit our supply chains for issues such as forced labour, and we have a recycling guarantee so that decommissioned panels are recycled for industrial re-use by Reclaim PV.”