Trina 245 watt panels - Any good?

[Bill SEPA]

Hi all,

A recent proposal included Trina 245 watt panels.

Are they good reliable panels? What should I look for to make that determination?

Thanks.

[Naptown]

Trina makes an OK panel
However it will take a lot more space per KW as those are low efficiency panels.
If space is not a concern and the price ( substantially lower) is good then why not.

[Bill SEPA]

Thanks Naptown!!

[emartin00]

Trina is one of the top 3 module manufactures in the world, so they can't be that bad.
As Naptown said, they won't be high efficiency, but the cost per watt is probably pretty low.

[sensij]

Some Trina's are better than others. If you have specific part numbers, you can check out how they are rated here:

http://www.principalsolarinstitute.org/uploads/custom/3/psi_ratings_by_manufacturer.php

Their rating system is sort of a black box, but their documentation explains what they are looking at and to my eye, most of the ratings make sense.

[J.P.M.]

Trina is one of the top 3 module manufactures in the world, so they can't be that bad. As Naptown said, they won't be high efficiency, but the cost per watt is probably pretty low.

FWIW, when new, they were perhaps a bit above their peers in terms of efficiency. Processes improve with time. Time and marketing forces probably take some additional or extra initial conservativeness out of product hype and data sheet #'s.

[Raul]

I have seen trina panel working at the max. panel nameplate output spec. Some in here say that a solar panel will never rich it's max output . I beg to differ , I seen it with my own eyes . Unlike big wattage panels . Trina in my book is a very good panel

[J.P.M.]

I have seen trina panel working at the max. panel nameplate output spec. Some in here say that a solar panel will never rich it's max output . I beg to differ , I seen it with my own eyes . Unlike big wattage panels . Trina in my book is a very good panel

A solar array can meet and exceed the combined S.T.C. rating of its panels under various conditions of low panel temp., high P.O.A. irradiance caused by cloud reflection, booster mirrors or other things, or a combination of factors. It is usually not a common occurrence for most usual configurations.

[solar pete]

Hi all,

A recent proposal included Trina 245 watt panels.

Are they good reliable panels? What should I look for to make that determination?

Thanks.

Howdy Bill

I like Trina used them a lot. The 245's are old so I would expect them to be very cheap, but if you get them cheap I would have no problems putting them on my house. As they dont make them anymore (that s a guess by the way) you might be wise to buy a spare panel and put it away, if you need to replace one in a few years chances are you wont be able to buy one. Thats just my opinion, cheers