Inverter giant targets rooftops that can’t go solar, with new lightweight panel solution

Leading Australian inverter maker GoodWe is launching a new line of solar building materials, and is betting the success of its new venture on the big chunk of the nation’s rooftops that cannot go solar due to an inability to support traditional panels and mounting systems.

GoodWe revealed this week that it will debut a new lightweight solar panel solution for commercial and low load-bearing rooftops at next week’s 2023 Smart Energy Conference and Exhibition in Sydney.

The new Galaxy solar 335W panel weighs in at just 6.1kg/m2 and 1.6mm in thickness, allowing it to be easily and quickly installed on a range of rooftops using industry standard silicon-based adhesives and hot-air welding.

GoodWe says an optional bracket can be used in certain applications providing an alternative fixing solution and removing the need for intrusive racking.

The panel is expected to be offered on the Australian market “in the near future,” the company says.

“Over 25% of rooftops in Australia cannot be installed with traditional solar panels and mounting systems, due to the risk of weather damage and structural integrity being compromised,” says Appollo Chai, who heads up marketing in Australia for the new product division.

“The Galaxy series of panels is the ideal solution for these scenarios, especially for commercial property owners who are looking for solar solutions to reduce operational costs at a time when energy prices are increasing.”

The panel is part of the Galaxy Series, which GoodWe says has been rigorously tested and certified by TüV and IEC standards, for hail, wind, heat and fire protection. The panels have a 10 year functional warranty and 30 year limited power warranty.

For GoodWe, the Galaxy Series is one of the feature products of a new product division of PV building materials it is now developing and manufacturing in-house, to further enhance its range of inverters.

In addition to the debut of the Galaxy Series, GoodWe Australia will be showcasing a complete
range of residential and new commercial scale energy storage solutions at the Smart Energy
Exhibition.

“GoodWe offer the largest range of inverter and energy storage products on the market and
through significant internal investment and a rapidly expanding workforce and R&D department, we are able to develop new technologies such as PV product ranges and EV charging products in-house,” says GoodWe Australia country manager, Dean Williamson.

“We are looking forward to showcasing some of our product portfolio at the Smart Energy exhibition, including our new ET three phase 15-30kW hybrid inverter that pairs with our high- voltage Lynx F Series battery, along with our new commercial-scale energy storage solutions.”