Unlock the Best Deals on Solar Panels, Inverters, and Batteries
Black Friday is almost upon us and as usual consumers are holding out on purchases in the hope of saving lots of money on specials. This extends into the solar industry as well. Many seemingly legitimate bargains are littered with problems. We have written this guide to ensure you can negotiate the minefield and ensure you do in fact buy a bargain instead of a white elephant. Here are some key points to look out for:
- “False” specials
Retailers will often increase the regular selling price, just to make the Special price look even better. Often the “Special” price is even more expensive than the average normal retail price.
Our Advice: research the normal price for the item/s you are interested in. Retailers who over-inflate their normal pricing, whether it is standard practice or only just before Black Friday, are behaving unethically and it is highly unlikely that they will offer the support you will need. At Solar Spot our pricing and discounts are realistic and legitimate, even our normal pricing is excellent, such as on the Solar MD 14.3 which we often retail for up to 30% less than our competitors. - Everyone is on the bandwagon
Every retailer is trying to cash in on Black Friday. Unfortunately retailers who have no clue about the solar industry, are also selling solar inverters, batteries and panels all of a sudden.
Our Advice: although large retailers have the buying power to achieve relatively good pricing, and even some smaller retailers with good contacts have access to solar-related equipment, many lack the expertise required to recommend the correct products and support them going forward. Rather stick to the experts who can design complete systems and give the best advice. At Solar Spot you can be guaranteed of expert level knowledge . - Market flooded with non-compliant brands
The shortage of solar-related equipment a few months ago triggered an influx of equipment from all over the world. This led to legitimate brands flowing in via illegitimate routes, but also many non-compliant brands and equipment. The most notable problems at the moment are:
• Inverters not compliant with local by-laws. Although some legitimate brands also have limitations, many of the lesser known brands are completely non-compliant in many aspects. These inverters pose a risk to users, installers, municipal workers and the general public. The legal liability which accompanies these units far outweighs the minor savings offered on the equipment purchase alone.
• Batteries not complaint or unsafe. Not all Lithium batteries are created equal. Many different sub-chemistries exist and within those tiers the quality is widespread. A Lithium battery constructed with poor quality cells and/or controlled by an inferior or inaccurate BMS is very dangerous – it could lead to fire, explosions and suffocation risks.
• Solar panels of sub-standard construction. The solar industry has focused the attention of consumers on the topic of Moncrystalline vs Polycrystalline panels, while neglecting to point our many other, more important points to consider. Inferior quality silicone cells, poor quality frames and glass, and inferior workmanship will lead to early failure of solar panels. This not only poses a massive financial problem to the customer, but also serious dangers in terms of fire risk etc. It’s important to remember that a solar panel can fuel itself with energy form the sun, it does not switch off.
Our Advice: only purchase brands which have been proven and established, with good local support. Given it is very difficult for an end-user to establish whether all of this is true, it is best to involve a professional, established supplier.
If you would like to learn more about what to look for in solar panels, please read our blog post on Solar Panel selection
If you would like to learn more about what to look for in Lithium batteries, please read our blog post on the Solar MD 8.3 , where we explain many of the important aspects of a battery. - Piecemeal purchases cause problems
At Solar Spot we often have clients who purchased some items already, which are now incompatible with the inverter they want to purchase. A perfect example is Solar Panels which have too high a current to safely or effectively work with a 5k Deye or Sunsynk inverter. This type of mismatch could also impact the warranty negatively or even render it void.
Our Advice: don’t just buy separate items because the pricing looks too good to resist. Compatibility between inverters , batteries and solar panels is critical. It is better to purchase a complete deal, scoped and designed by experts for a decent price, than to try a mix and match yourself. Even bundled deals need to be scrutinised carefully, as mismatches are still common from inexperienced retailers. Our carefully selected bundles can be viewed here
Discover Solar Spot’s Black Friday Specials featuring Deye Solar, MD, LuxPower, Dyness, Shoto, and SRNE
- If it’s too good to be true…
Every once in a while, clients may stumble upon specials which seem just too good to be true. Contrary to popular belief, the profit margins on solar related equipment is very small, much smaller than other retail items. Therefore any pricing which is significantly below market related pricing (more than 20% less), is most probably just too good to be true, so the client needs to be extra careful. Many products have been imported via illegitimate channels (so-called “grey imports”), many stolen goods are currently available for sale, and counterfeit products have also been on the increase. At best, you might not have any warranty or support on these products, at worst they might be confiscated or blocked remotely by the importer, and even criminal charges may be brought against the owner.
Our Advice: Only purchase from reputable dealers to avoid any problems, and stay away from deals which are too good to be true. Solar Spot are authorised wholesalers and retailers for Deye , Sunsynk , LuxPower , Kodak , Solis , SolarMD , Hubble , Shoto , Dyness , Revov , JA Solar , Canadian Solar , Risen etc. - Installation required
Quality installers prefer to install quality equipment which they are familiar with. It is highly unlikely that a good installer will be willing to install a mix-and-match combination of inverter, battery and solar panels purchased randomly on a Black Friday Special. On the flip-side, some installers have a very limited portfolio of equipment, which could mean you miss out on excellent quality equipment.
Our Advice: if you require installation, or you’re also not 100% sure which equipment is correct for your application, rather approach a professional supplier and installer to provide a complete solution. Ensure your installer has a wide portfolio of possible brands and solutions, to ensure you get a solution which is fit for purpose and within your budget. Should you wish to get a complete solution designed and/or installed, please contact us here - Scammers
Online purchasing has become the norm among consumers, and although it is super convenient, it has also opened up a massive gap for scammers. Black Friday specials are an easy way to lure in unsuspecting victims. Since solar-related equipment is so expensive, it is even more dangerous for clients to take the plunge without researching their supplier.
Our advice: research your supplier. The following aspects are key:
• Contact details and physical address. If a physical address isn’t available, there is virtually no security for your purchase. Verify the physical address on Google Maps. Google is quite thorough with confirming addresses before listing businesses. Along with this, a simple Google streetview picture is easy to use as verification. You can view our contact details here and find us on Google Maps here .
• Read some reviews. Google Reviews are easy to find and any massive problems, especially non-delivery of paid-for items will be laid bare on there. You can read our Google Reviews here.
Conclusion
As always with solar-related equipment and systems, there’s a lot more to consider than clients realise initially. For this reason it is very easy to purchase incorrect or non-matching equipment. The prospect of a bargain buy makes it even more difficult to fall into this trap. The key take-away from all the topics discussed, is that it is important to make your purchase from an established, expert level supplier. This is true at all times, but even more so on black Friday when consumers are over-loaded with advertisements and promises.
CEO at SolarSpot.co.za
Emile Streicher is the owner of SolarSpot.co.za . He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Government Certificate of Competency for Factories, with 15 years’ experience in Electro-Mechanical Design, Installations, Project Management and Reliability Engineering.
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