Tindo produces first 405-watt solar panels at new Australian factory

Tindo Solar has unveiled the first batch of its new higher rating Australian-assembled solar panels at its new Adelaide factory.

Tindo Solar CEO Shayne Jaenisch said the first of the company’s new 405 watt Karra panels would be delivered to customers within the week, with corporate and government buyers serving as the first customers.

“It takes a lot of work behind the scenes to design a new panel, with new components, to be produced on a brand-new production line,” Jaenisch said.

“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.”

Tindo is Australia’s only full-scale commercial solar module manufacturing operation, and has sought to position itself as a producer of high quality premium panels designed for operation in Australian conditions.

Tindo said that its new line of Karra branded panels use the M10 large format solar cells that have become standard across the solar industry.

These modules have been been rated with a 21 per cent module efficiency by TUV SUD Korea and come with a 25-year product warranty, with Tindo saying the modules should become some of the highest-quality panels available in the Australian solar market.

“It’s a real compliment to our workforce that we’re manufacturing a solar panel with such high levels of reliability, performance and safety that corporate and government buyers prefer to buy Tindo Solar when they have the choice of imports from around the world,” Jaenisch said.

The 405-watt module will target residential solar installations, with the company already unveiling a larger, 545-watt solar module that has been designed for commercial and utility-scale applications.

Jaenisch added that the panels had secured certification by the Clean Energy Council, ensuring they would be eligible for support through the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme.

Tindo has been Australia’s only major solar panel assembly operation, and recently shifted its operations to a larger factory in Adelaide to allow it to assemble larger solar panels, and at larger volumes, to compete with overseas manufacturers.

The new factory has the capacity to produce up to 150MW of solar panel capacity each year, and is more than three-times the size of its previous factory.

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

“Renewable electricity will power our homes, businesses and the transport sector in the near future, and we must have a certain amount of domestic control over how we do that.”

“The benefits of local design and manufacturing are proved in independent testing at the Desert Knowledge Australia Solar Centre located in Alice Springs, where Tindo modules continue to be the stand-out performer.”

Tindo said that the new panels would also be able to participate in an a partnership with solar panel recycling venture Reclaim PV, which will process the solar modules sold by Tindo at the end of their operational life.

“We know from our customers that Australians are serious about recycling and forced labour, and they expect manufacturers to take meaningful steps to address modern slavery, and to stop decommissioned solar panels going to landfill,” Jaenisch added.

“We audit our supply chains, we are a signatory to the UN Global Compact and we have an end-of-life recycling guarantee with Reclaim PV.”