Toowoomba-based solar installer Proven Energy is teaming up with Norwegian solar energy manufacturer REC to bring its latest heterojunction rooftop PV panels to Australia.
REC Group, a solar energy company headquartered in Norway but with manufacturing capacity in Singapore, announced at the end of September that it had begun manufacturing its latest solar panel, the REC Alpha Pure-R.
According to REC, its “Alpha Pure-R hits the sweet spot in terms of its power output, size and environmental footprint.”
Featuring heterojunction (HJT) cells in the larger G12 format in a patented panel design, the Alpha Pure-R delivers power output of up to 430Wp while still keeping the module under two square metres.
“We made a bold move in 2019 by introducing REC Alpha as our first HJT product, in 2021 by launching the lead-free and RoHS compliant Alpha Pure, and now we are changing the game again,” says Jan Enno Bicker, CEO at REC Group.
“With the REC Alpha Pure-R, we are bringing another 600MW of a lead-free HJT product to the market but based on larger G12 cells in a compact panel format for residential installations.”
The first shipments of REC’s new solar panel are already destined for customers in the United States, Europe, and Australia. These customers placed orders long before production had started, based solely on confidence in REC.
“The many pre-production orders confirm that our customers have full trust into REC’s innovations and our newest product hits well the demand,” added Bicker.
“Now that production is underway, customers worldwide can access the power, space and environmental advantages of this new solar panel for their installations.”
Unveiled earlier in the year at Intersolar Europe, the new Alpha Pure-R is lead-free and Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS) compliant. A low temperature coefficient also helps to keep the solar panel running efficiently on hot days – a plus for Australian customers.
And it is Australian customers that Toowoomba-based solar installer Proven Energy is looking to win over with a new marketing campaign centred around the new Alpha Pure-R panels.
Proving a point
While its own marketing campaign is awash in a dizzying array of mixed metaphors, Proven Energy’s founder Peter Sutrin and operations manager Troy Leighton are hoping to remind locals to do their research on solar providers.
“Don’t just believe a marketing campaign; make sure you do your research into both the brands you’re buying and the installer you’re choosing,” said Sutrin. “Solar is a long-term investment.”
Founded in 2012 by Peter and Miranda Sutrin, Proven Energy is promoting REC’s new Alpha Pure-R solar panels as the core tenant of their new advertising campaign.
Ironically, Proven Energy’s new ad campaign is designed to raise awareness around the risks associated with purchasing solar panels based solely on an ad campaign.
“Solar has really only been widely used in the Australian retail market for the last decade,” said Peter Sutrin.
“This means the industry has been finding its feet for most of that time. This is evidenced by the volume of retailers and manufacturers who have left the industry. It is important to have quality at the forefront of your solar investment.
“There are thousands of brands selling solar into this new market. The biggest problem we see is brands only staying in the country for a few years, before failing an Australian standard, or going out of business.
“Many brands put big money into their sales and marketing budget while cutting corners on the products and services their customers are paying for. Solar orphans is a term coined from the fact that so many customers needing service find the company they bought from is no longer around.”
