Jinko Solar Panels VS Longi Solar Panels: Which One Is Australia's Best Solar Panel?
Jinko vs Longi Solar Panels… The Battle Of Australia’s Best Solar Panel!
Is there any difference between Longi and Jinko solar panels?
Which of these are Australia’s best solar panels?
Which one of these are the BEST panels for your solar system?
At Lightning Solar & Electrical we have done thousands of solar panel installations across Victoria, Queensland and South Australia.
When it comes to popularity in solar panels there are two clear winners. 80% of our customer’s either ask for a system with Jinko or Longi solar panels.
It’s safe to say that these are two of our favourite solar panels as well. We are going to run through exactly which solar panel will be best for YOU.
Jinko VS Longi...
How do you choose which solar panels are right for you?…
We’re going to help by giving you the knowledge you need to decide between Jinko solar panels or Longi solar panels.
Why Jinko or Longi?
Well let’s start with the obvious, affordability.
Jinko and Longi solar panels are amazing quality for the price. Both of these companies are also huge, which suggests that they have the budget to finance their products.
Also, being large companies they have the capital to not only invest but fall back on as well meaning they are not going to go out of business any time soon.
Additionally both Longi and Jinko come with great warranties. Having long lasting warranties suggest confidence in their products to last periods of time without any issues.
We regard the warranties as a key selling point for they really suggest how good the panel will perform and if not you can get them replaced. Lets not forget that both companies offer great support, as well as both having offices in Australia.
Jinko Has Just Bought Out The N Type Series With Extended Warranties
I have to admit it, Jinko might have taken Longi on this one. It’s a serious power move. So, back in 2020 Jinko bought out a new series of N Type solar panels. To rival all of the other panels, Jinko offers a whopping 25 year warranty on their 390w N Type panel.
They also have a 365-370w N Type panel which comes with a cool 20 year panel warranty. Unfortunately this makes Longi’s 12 year warranty look a little silly. However, the 12 year warranties are on P Type panels not N Type.
I’ll have to give it to Jinko for this one, it’s a bold move and it’s definitely paid off. I’d say Jinko N Types has become one of our top selling solar panels for sure.
I’d really like to see Longi bring out a module that is backed by a long standing panel warranty. If everyone else is doing it, then I feel like Longi should be matching. Let’s see what the future brings over the next few years.
Both Longi And Jinko Use N-Type Technology
As mentioned above, now that Jinko has their N Type range both of these solar panels use N Type technology. Now, it has recently been announced a few months ago in 2021 that Longi are releasing a new module named HiMO N which is an N Type panel.
However, Longi’s N Type panel seems to be targeted more for industrial use such as commercial solar or solar farms. It comes in a rather large 570w size and boasts a strong 22.6% conversion efficiency.
Although not super relevant to homeowners, it does suggest that Longi are beginning to make moves into newer technologies and might be an early sign that they are willing to advance into the N Type residential market.
Overall, both of these solar panel brands are using the latest technology which is important to know that they are attempting to move forward and last within the industry and not just go bust.
This is the same type of technology used by the industry leaders such as Sunpower Maxeon and other products.
Jinko And Longi Are The Kings At Fast ROI/Payback Periods
When it comes to paying off your system quickly, you have to give Jinko and Longi the credit. Both panels are the kings of fast pay back periods.
Now, if this is something you are looking for then I’d highly recommend either of these solar panels because they are extremely affordable and come with good performance. If you compare the Cheetah vs HiMO4 (Like I’ve done below) you will see that you might have a slight edge with Longi’s panel.
It’s slightly more efficient, meaning you will get a small amount of extra energy over a 15 year period compared to the Jinko Cheetah panel. However, this is so minor that it wouldn’t make much of a difference. But, you know what they say… More energy is more savings 😆.
Either way, both of these solar panels will provide you with a really fast return on investment. They are perfect for homeowners who are looking to maximise on solar and take advantage of the solar panel rebate that is available across Australia.
Both Solar Panels Are Award Winning…
Well, where do I even start?
Both of these solar panels have won a serious amount of awards over the years. Put it this way, Jinko panels are 6 time award winners (in a row) for the DNV GL award which is very impressive.
They also won the PV magazine award in 2020 for their amazing Tiger series, which are one of the best modules in the industry right now. This is well deserved for Jinko.
Longi has also won this award several times as well though, but not as many as Jinko. Impressively, Jinko has also broken the world record for the most efficient solar panel 12 times.
You have to give Longi some credit as well though, back in 2020 PV magazine crowned them “king of solar” having shipped a whopping 24.5GW of solar panels throughout 2020. This makes them the biggest solar panel manufacturer in the world.
They also won the Intersolar award in 2021 for their HiMO5 module series. This was a huge achievement for Longi and it shows just how good their solar panels actually are. To put it this way, Enphase also won the intersolar award…
To summarise, both of these solar panels are being recognised as the best in the world. That’s why you shouldn’t have any issue choosing either of these panels for your home.
Jinko vs Longi?…In recent times they both offer the following type of solar panels:
- Black Frame
- Split Cell
- Mono-crystalline
- 370w Solar Panels
- Great Return On Investment
What about when you compare Longi & Jinko to high end panels like LG or SunPower?
We also offer many high end products like LG, Sunpower and Hanwha Qcell.
While Sunpower or LG solar panels may be the best panels on the market, they just aren’t in everyone’s budget due to their high price range.
If you consider your Average 6.6kw system in Melbourne, Brisbane or Adelaide, Sunpower or LG panels (depending on the model) can cost $2000 to $4000 more than Longi or Jinko solar panels. For many Australians this may not be within their budget even after the solar rebates.
Even for those who have the budget, the ROI (return on investment) will not be fast enough from these solar panels.
Also Longi and Jinko are now producing much more efficient solar panels. As new technology develops, they are catching the wind and improving their solar panels. Here is a list of the most efficient solar panels in 2020.
For example we have many customers looking for a 2 year turnaround on ROI as they might move house after 5 years… so why worry about LG or Sunpower’s 25 year warranty??
Longi or Jinko can offer extremely fast ROI without compromising too much on quality. This is similiar to Canadian solar vs Jinko as well…
Jinko & Longi Can Beat Higher End Panels But You Need A Bigger System
Something that I need to make everyone aware of is the size of the system, and also making your solar system future proof.
What do I mean by this?
Well, granted Sunpower solar panels will certainly provide a much longer return on investment. Over time, you will see a much greater amount of savings when you are competing against a 8kW size system. For example, Jinko Cheetah 370w vs Sunpower P 3 or Maxeon 5’s. You will always get more energy over a 25 year period from the Sunpower system.
However, you can actually look at getting the more affordable system which is Jinko or Longi and invest in getting a bigger system. Instead of 8kW use the investment you would save from the Sunpower panels to extend your system to 10-13kW.
With the extra size you are going to be generating more power and getting a faster, and much higher return on investment.
You can also future proof your home…
Now, here’s where it gets really interesting. Not only are you going to be generating more energy which will lead to higher savings. You will also be future proofing your home.
One thing homeowners are not considering right now is the amount of energy they will be using in the future. Think about it… 10 years ago we barely had smartphones, laptops, air fryers, smart TV’s and all of these extra appliances.
Fast forward to 2021, everyone in the family has a smartphone AND laptop. Don’t forget playstations, VR, microwaves. All of this is plugged in at the same time and consuming energy.
The devices’ batteries are getting bigger and stronger every year meaning they need to consume more energy to be fully charged. Homeowners are using 10 times the amount of energy they were 10 years ago.
Don’t believe me? We have customers who are ripping off systems that are only 7-8 years old to install a much bigger system that is scalable and can be extended in the future. There is only one way the world is going… That is digital.
In 10 years time we will be consuming the most amount of energy ever, therefore it’s best to invest in a system that is large enough to cope with this expansion and will still generate savings in years to come.
I can’t stress it enough. Future-proof your home. Future-proof your solar system.
Let’s look at both of Australia’s favorite solar panels in detail;
What I Think About These Panels...
JinkoSolar was founded in 2006 and has 5 production facilities across China, Malaysia and the USA. In 2019 the company generated 16 GW of solar panels. JinkoSolar has an Australian office and can be reached for warranty support on 1300 326 182.
Well, as I said above Jinko is one of our best sellers so of course I really like this solar panel. They are constantly improving and winning awards. The thing I’m most impressed about is the extended warranty on the N Type panels. This really sets them apart from the crowd.
I’ve also written an honest, full review on Jinko solar panels here. Please feel free to read this if you still want to research more about these panels.
Jinko panels key selling points are;
12 year product warranty
25 year linear power warranty
Positive power tolerance (0~+5w)
5 busbar solar cell
High module efficiency (20.15%)
PID Resistance – Excellent performance guarantee limited power degradation for mass production
Low-light performance – advanced glass and cell surface textured design ensure excellent performance in low-light environment
Severe weather resilience – certified to withstand: wind load (2400 pascal) and snow load (5400 pascal)
Durability against extreme environmental conditions
Black frame
Half cut technology
What I Think About These Panels...
Longi Solar was founded in 2000 and in 2016 was the world’s fastest growing solar panel manufacturer and is still growing! In 2019 Longi produced 14 GW of mono solar panels worldwide! Longi Solar has an Australian office and can be reached for warranty support on 02 8484 5806.
I really love Longi and their panels. They strictly stick to monocrystalline type panels which are higher quality when compared to polycrystalline so you know they are focusing more on quality.
I’ve actually written an honest, full review on Longi solar panels here. Please feel free to read through if you still want to research more about them.
Longi panels key selling points are;
12 year warranty for materials and processing
25 year warranty for extra linear power output
Positive power tolerance (0~+5w) guaranteed
High module conversion efficiency (up to 20.9%)
Slower power degradation
Solid PID resistance ensured by solar cell process optimization and careful module BOM
Reduced resistive loss with lower operating current
Higher energy yield with lower operating temperature
Reduced hot spot risk with optimized electrical design and lower operating current • Black Frame
Half cut technology (better in the shade)
Conclusion: JINKO vs LONGI?
Which one of these solar panels is better to go on your Australian roof?
To be honest we can’t call it. They are both equally amazing value for money and I would be happy with either on my home.
While Jinko has been at the top of the Australian solar industry longer, Longi has quickly become one of the world’s biggest tier 1 solar panel brands.
It has also become Australia’s most popular solar panel. In my opinion you can’t go wrong with either.
While it’s worth mentioning Longi is usually (a touch) cheaper than Jinko. Due to Covid-19 stock price and availability have been fluctuating, making them to be priced about the same. Another one that is worth considering for the price is Seraphim solar panels.
Which One Will You Go For?
Share With Your Friends!
Written By:
Luke Cove
Managing Director
Lightning Solar & Electrical
7 thoughts on “Jinko VS Longi Solar Panels”
Is the longi Pamela you mention are the glass ones?
I am looking at a minimum 15 kw 3phase system Fronios preferred.
Second option go to the max panels say 18 kw with the Fronios 15 kw .
Thanks Steve. Go to the supermarket.
Is the Jinko on the same general preference as the Longi? Also I heard that Longi are in the running sheet in the Victorian rebate scheme. Can you confirm this and also I’m wondering if you offer cheaper tariff backend consumption monitoring for double story buildings? Thanks
Hi, I have already been installed and I am still waiting for the Jinko. Can you please give me an ETA of the Jinko stands and if it’s going to be much longer than this I will ask Longi for the service instead. Please make sure these ones have the correct buttons for operation this time. Thanks
Hi I have the choice between Longi and Jinko , but i am still confused, which one I should i go for, any one with an experience can give me advise
Hey Shadi,
Absolutely, our solar design engineers can set up a consultation with you to talk through which panel brands will be the best suited for your home, budget and your requirements. Please feel free to contact us on [email protected] and we can set up a time that’s best suited for you with one of our fully qualified, electrical solar engineers.
Longi is the best