Q Cells launches new “made for Australia” solar panel

A new solar module “custom made for Australia’s harsh conditions” has been unveiled by South Korea-owned PV manufacturer Q Cells, offering a power range between 350-360W, a 15-year product warranty, and a 25 year performance warranty.

Q Cells said on Thursday that the Q.MAXX-G2 was the second generation of the market entry level Q.MAXX range, and the first of the company’s modules to be exclusively manufactured for the Australian market.

The new product launch marks the Hanwha-owned company’s latest big push into the Australian solar market, since its October 2019 launch of the Q.Home package, which combines PV, a hybrid inverter, a lithium-ion battery of up to 12kWh and the distributed energy management software of Australian start-up SwitchDin.

“Q CELLS is delighted to be launching its first solar module to be manufactured exclusively for Australia’s harsh climate, reflecting the growing importance of Australia in the global solar market,” said Q Cells’ head of business Australia, Peter Bae.

“For over 10 years, Q Cells has maintained a full Australian office including engineering and technical staff, so this new Australian-exclusive panel is an exciting next step.

“The Q.MAXX-G2 has been developed using selected materials enabling us to extend the warranty to 15 years, tailored for Australian conditions.

“This means that are consumers not only getting access to Q Cells’ globally recognised manufacturing and engineering quality but additional piece of mind from an extended product warranty, created specifically for Australia.”

Bae says the extended performance and product warranties are built on Q Cells’ 21 year history in R&D and extensive quality testing, including at the Desert Knowledge Solar Centre in Alice Springs.

Q CELLS also submits each module, including Q.MAXX-G2, to cyclone testing at James Cook University’s Cyclone Testing Centre in Townsville, where modules are tested at four-times the pressure of IEC standards for three cycles instead of one.

Q Cells solar panels were recently named among the “high-end” panel offerings in Ikea’s recently launched Australian retail solar package, through partner SolarGain.