Chinese PV manufacturer Longi has said there can only be one Australian distributor of its solar panels for the residential, small commercial and industrial sectors.
Longi currently lists seven Australian distributors: BayWa re, Krannich, Marubeni, One Stop Warehouse, SolarJuice, Tradezone and Raystech. But from 2025, Raystech will be the sole distributor of Longis solar panels in Australia for the home and C&I markets.
Raystech, a solar components wholesaler founded in 2017 (or 2018 or 2019, depending on who you ask), currently sells PV modules from Astronergy, JinkoSolar, REC, Seraphim and Longi. However, as part of the agreement, only Longi products will be stocked in its solar panel stable.
Longi says the agreement will result in improved supply chain efficiency, simplification of offerings for installers and end users, and improvement in customer experience.
“Our exclusive agreement with Raystech reflects our commitment to providing consistent quality and service to the Australian market,” said Longi chairman Zhong Baoshen. “Together we will set new standards for innovation, reliability and customer satisfaction.”
Raystech Chairman Mark Miao seems pretty confident about putting all of Raystech’s solar panels in one basket.
“LONGi has always been at the forefront of technological advancement,” he said. “This partnership is an example of the power of collaboration and brings to life our shared vision for a sustainable energy future.”
HPBC 2.0 modules are on the way
Longi also announced that its cell-based Hybrid Passivated Back Contact (HPBC) 2.0 modules will be launched in Australia in 2025. The company says the cell efficiency of the HPBC 2.0 mass production cell exceeds 26.6% and contains Longi’s TaiRay silicon wafers, which the company says significantly reduces PV cell degradation.
“Compared to TOPCon modules, HPBC 2.0 products exhibit superior resistance to UV radiation, moist heat and temperature cycling,” the company said. “They have a temperature coefficient of -0.26%/°C, an improvement of 0.03%/°C over TOPCon.”
An Australian favorite
The company’s solar panels are very popular in Australia – they’re pretty cheap and pretty good. Australian customer reviews of Longi solar panels on SolarQuotes have been generally positive, with the company receiving an average of 4.9 stars across more than 2,000 reviews overall and 5 stars (over 1,000 reviews) in the last 12 months.
However, the brand was not represented on the winners’ podium at this year’s SolarQuotes Installers Choice Awards. Trina, Jinko and Canadian Solar receive the award for the best solar panels in 2024 in the budget category.
Longi is currently listed in the SQ list of recommended solar panel brands.
Long fights in 2024
Longi Green Energy Technology Co., Ltd. founded in 2000, is a vertically integrated manufacturer; Manufacture of solar wafers, cells and modules. From January to September this year, the company shipped 82.80 GW of wafers (including 35.03 GW of external sales), achieved external monocrystalline cell sales of 4.16 GW, and achieved module shipments of 51.23 GW.
Revenue fell significantly – CNY 58.593 billion for the year to the end of September, a whopping 37.73% decline year-on-year. But that’s not the only one, as most, if not all, of the major Chinese panel makers are struggling in the face of particularly fierce price competition. In response to market fluctuations, Longi says it has strategically adjusted its product deliveries.
By the end of last year, its own silicon wafer production capacity reached 170 GW, cell production capacity reached 80 GW, and module production capacity reached 120 GW.
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