At Ecocetera, we put a lot of thought into the solar products we choose to use.
We need to know that they will last, that they will perform, and that the companies who manufacture them stand up to scrutiny ethically and environmentally. We also like them to look good!
We do change our range when we come across a new product that we love, and we do have access to many other products that are tried and tested.
The following are just some of our favourites.
Inverters
Ecocetera will always recommend the inverter that will produce the best results for your system. There are many factors that need to be taken into account, including the system size, orientation and pitch, the voltage and current of the particular solar panel being used, and any shading issues.
Most often, we will use one of the inverters below, which we have used extensively, and consider to be the best available.
Fronius has been developing power conversion technologies for over sixty-five years – solar inverters specifically for twenty. All their inverters are manufactured in Sattledt, Austria.
They have a range suitable for just about any size of system, together with various monitoring and data logging options. Their inverters are known for high quality and superb efficiency.
SMA manufactures all their inverters in Kassel, Germany. The factory is the largest inverter factory in the world, and is carbon neutral, boasting a 1.1MW solar PV system and a CHP plant.
SMA has a versatile range of top quality and highly efficient inverters, which also have monitoring and data logging options, some as standard.
Established in 2005, Ginlong Technologies is one of the most experienced and largest manufacturers of solar inverters.
Presented under the brand name Solis; their inverters are cost-effective, have online monitoring systems and offer high quality residential and commercial solar PV solutions. Within their range they offer a mini inverter which is compact, lightweight in design and suitable for many domestic solar installations.
SolarEdge is a power optimisation system. There is a single inverter, and each panel is connected to its own power optimiser, which means the panels are tracked separately. The system is brilliant for shaded roofs, as one shaded panel will not affect the performance of the rest of the array. It is also designed to keep track of your energy production and consumption with the mySolarEdge app. Ecocetera is an Advanced SolarEdge Installer, meaning we know their solar products and systems pretty well, and are well placed to advise on design, upgrades and maintenance.
Panels
While we always try to give excellent value for money, we also balance cost against quality, performance and warranties that mean something. That’s why you won’t necessarily find the cheapest solar products in our range, as we won’t put our name to them.
We also understand that some of our customers are more concerned about where a panel is manufactured, or the ethical record of the parent company, than saving a few pounds on a panel. The following panels are ones we have installed extensively. While we do change our favourites occasionally, we like all of these.
Perlight solar panels are a well-known brand in the industry. With a wide range of outputs and a reputation for innovation, Perlight panels are suitable for domestic and commercial installations alike. Sometimes a smaller sized, high performing and good looking panel is what’s needed and this is where the Perlight Delta Mono comes in. With 54 cells vs the traditional 60 they are perfect for smaller roofs. They come with a 30-year product warranty and 30-year performance warranty.
Hanwha Q Cells is one of the largest solar panel manufacturers in the world, with global headquarters in South Korea and an innovation HQ in Germany. They supply modules for solar panel installations of all scales. With a 12-year product warranty and 25-year performance warranty, They are high quality and high efficiency panels presenting great value for money.
REC is one of the solar industry pioneers and a leading innovator of solar PV technology. Their high quality design and manufacturing standards means they can produce high-performance solar modules with uncompromising quality at a good cost. Their advanced Alpha panels are some of the most efficient solar panels available. They have an excellent twenty-five year product warranty (when registering with REC’S Protrust Warranty) and a twenty-five year performance warranty.
The most economical of our panels – but that does not mean they are poor quality – far from it. They recently increased their product warranty to twelve years (performance warranty is still twenty-five years), and they are arguably the most environmentally conscious off all the Chinese manufacturers. Their sleek all black range turns a head or two too….