Renesola vs Lightway?

[Oliver84]

I'm trying to make up my mind on a 10kW system. I'm receiving this as a rebate so it will be mostly covered. I'm just trying to avoid any out of pocket expenses. Do you think it would be worth paying $1,000 for Renesola panels rather than Lightway? I haven't been able to find too much information on Lightway which is the only thing that worries me about them. But then again, I'm pretty new to all this.


- Renesola is rated 255 watts max standard, 232 watts max real-world and 15.7% efficiency for $235 ea.

- Lightway is rated 240 watts max standard, 215 watts max real-world and 14.7% efficiency for $184 ea.

[SUN Advisor]

The vast majority of cell wafers are produced in Asia. Renesola primarily manufactures in China and Lightway manufactures in Taiwan. Lightway comes with 3rd party 10 year manufactures' insurance and 25 year production guarantee. It is hard to tell what will happen to either company in the years to come, but if you are trying to get the most economical system, my recommendation is to go with Lightway.

[Oliver84]

Does Renesola have any kind of 3rd party insurance like lightwave? Even though lightwave isn't as nice as the Renesola panels, if they have a 10 3rd party insurance, I think that would carry more weight, don't you? Like you said, there's no telling where either of these companies will be 10 years from now.

Also, here's my thinking. My rebate is going to basically cover the whole system for me. So if this will be basically free, should I not worry so much about quality(meaning output) and worry more about the price? If I can save $1,000 on this, that $1,000 goes to my pocket. Having a system that produces more electricity isn't that beneficial for me because my electric bill is only $100/mo anyways. I think I would rather $1,000 in my pocket than produce a few extra watts of electricity...

[Oliver84]

Lol, you're good... Yes, I'm in Florida and was fortunate enough to get the $2/w rebate. At today's prices, it's a great deal.

I'm a GC and will be doing the install with my electrician. Thanks for the responses . I'm just being really careful because I don't want to get ripped off and be stuck with a huge bill in the end.

I know we can't post links but there's a local supplier here I really wanted to go with but they've been really unresponsive. I found a great deal online with these lightway panels from a very responsive site but it's not easy dropping $16k on panels you've never heard of from a company online.

[Oliver84]

The vast majority of cell wafers are produced in Asia. Renesola primarily manufactures in China and Lightway manufactures in Taiwan. Lightway comes with 3rd party 10 year manufactures' insurance and 25 year production guarantee. It is hard to tell what will happen to either company in the years to come, but if you are trying to get the most economical system, my recommendation is to go with Lightway.

Are you referring to PowerGuard's insurance? If so, isn't it 25 years and doesn't Renesola have this 3rd party insurance as well?

http://pvsolarreport.com/blog/item/974-renesola-renews-its-powerguard-warranty-insurance

[Oliver84]

The local supplier I was referring to was US Solar. They train solar contractors and seems to have a pretty large presence in the Caribbean and South Florida but I feel like I'm practically begging them to sell me their panels. I don't get replies via email or their website forms (I've submitted like 3 already) and I requested a couple quotes over the phone a week ago and I'm still waiting. It's a shame because they have a decent looking SolarEdge package that I was dead set on getting but I think I may have to go with Freecleansolar which has been much more responsive.

[Oliver84]

I thought about that but I was afraid I'd miss something. What about connectors and stuff? I tried to find somewhere that would help me figure out all I needed to build my own kit, which I would totally rather do. The rebate is $2/w no matter the cost of the system because it's suppose to help with the cost of labor as well. If I only pay $16k but then end up needing more help with the labor than I realized, it could be another $4k to finish. I rather have as much buffer as possible in case I need extra help so I'll definitely look into building my own kit.

[SUN Advisor]

Yes, PowerGuard. 10 years for defects in manufacturing and 25 years for production. Renesola also carries PowerGuard. If I were you, I will keep the $1000.