JinkoSolar last week announced the launch of a new generation of solar panels, the Tiger Neo 3.0, with a residential product line up to 495 watts.
Based on N-Type and TOPCon technology, two series will be available – the Neo Utility for commercial and large-scale applications and the Neo DG for residential roofs.
Although the announcement is light on details, the Neo DG 495-watt panel has a conversion efficiency of 24.8%, according to Jinko. That’s very impressive – higher than any panel we currently have listed in the SolarQuotes solar panel comparison chart.
The Neo DG comes with a 25-year product warranty and a 30-year linear performance warranty; with a first year degradation of a maximum of 1% and an annual linear degradation rate of 0.4%.
How big and heavy is it?
Something that will be of particular interest (and concern) to installers are the dimensions of the Neo DG panel – however, as far as I know, JinkoSolar has not released a data sheet yet.
As the modules became more powerful, their size also increased. Many high-performance residential modules today reach an area of 2 m2. It wasn’t that long ago that 1.6 m² was widely used.
I spend as little time as possible on our roof – and mostly without carrying anything. I can only imagine how difficult it is to stay upright in windy weather and carry what is essentially a 21kg + 2m² kite, let alone do anything with it. So it’s no wonder that the number one thing on SQ installers’ wish lists is manageable solar module sizes. According to Anthony’s informal survey of installers, the most popular size for solar panels is 1650 x 992mm, less than 18kg and preferably with a frame depth of 35 or 40mm.
However, every cloud has a silver lining, as the saying goes:
“The only advantage of 2-meter solar panels was that it was easier to hand them from the ground to your comrade on the roof, but you had to pay a weight penalty,” says Anthony. “Regardless of size, we often pushed them up a ladder.”
Jinko says about the Tiger Neo 3.0:
“Tiger Neo solar panels’ track record of over 120 GW is proven to maximize power production and energy savings for customers,” the company explains. “Thanks to TOPCon technology, JinkoSolar will further expand its strong leadership position and raise the bar by accelerating the introduction of best-performing products.”
Hopefully the company hasn’t also increased the size of the new Neo DG to over 2m², and the claimed efficiency suggests that Jinko hasn’t.
Before the 3.0 family, the most powerful Tiger Neo for rooftops that I found under 2 m² was the 460 watt 54HL4R-(V), which is 1762 × 1134 mm, has 23% efficiency and weighs 21 kg. The next Tiger Neo solar module series with more power was the 60HL4 (V) series with up to 500 watts, dimensions of 1906 × 1134 × 30 mm (approx. 2.16 m²) and a weight of 22.5 kg – i.e above average In terms of size, it is a residential module.
Prices for Tiger Neo 3.0 DG?
There is no indication yet as to what the JinkoSolar Tiger Neo 3.0 DG will cost here in Australia. However, so far prices for Tiger Neo solar panels are at the cheapest end of the spectrum. For example, according to the SQ comparison chart, a 475-watt 60HL4 has an estimated retail price of just $135 each. which is incredibly low.
While Chinese solar manufacturers find themselves in a particularly brutal price war, there are some signs that this could be changing. The CEO of JinkoSolar commented a few months ago:
“The oversupply and increasingly irrationally low prices along the supply chain that have plagued our industry for some time are now being addressed through market forces and government and industry control measures.”
And that’s exactly when JinkoSolar will report its third quarter 2024 results in a few days. So it will be interesting to see how the company fares.
Jinko solar panels, while very affordable, are of good quality, are well supported in Australia and the company is currently listed on SQ’s list of recommended solar panel brands.
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