The short answer for our own installations: the panels we fit as standard are manufactured in China, and we will tell you exactly which ones before you sign anything.
Most of the world’s solar panels are. According to the International Energy Agency, China accounts for more than 80% of global solar PV module manufacturing capacity, and its share is higher still further back in the supply chain.
So when a customer in Hemel Hempstead or St Albans asks us, “do your panels come from China?”, it is a fair question, and it deserves a direct answer rather than a lecture about global supply chains.
Here is ours.
Key Takeaways
- Our standard commercial and residential panel is the DMEGC 470W glass-glass module, manufactured in China.
- We also fit Aiko 485W and 490W panels where a client specifically asks for them.
- Wenzel’s the Bakers in Watford, our largest commercial installation, used 558 Canadian Solar 410W panels.
- China accounts for more than 80% of global solar PV module manufacturing capacity.
- A panel assembled outside China may still contain Chinese-made cells, wafers or raw materials.
- Manufacturer track record, warranty terms, certification and supply-chain transparency tell you more than the country on the label.
Which Solar Panels Does Synergy Actually Fit?
Our default is the DMEGC 470W glass-glass N-type module.
We specify it because it is the best value on the market that we are genuinely happy to put our name to. We believe it performs almost as well as the premium alternatives, it costs less, and it carries a longer standard product warranty than the panel most people ask for.
It is also far less prone to stock problems, which matters more than people expect. We will come back to that.
Where a client specifically asks for Aiko, we fit Aiko. Their 485W and 490W ABC modules are excellent panels with genuinely high efficiency, and a lot of domestic customers arrive having read about them online.
We do not quote them by default, and we are open about why.
The warranty position, compared honestly
| Product warranty | Performance warranty | Annual degradation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DMEGC 470W glass-glass | 25 years | 30 years | ≤0.40% after year one |
| Aiko Neostar 490W | 15 years, extendable to 25 | 30 years | ≤0.35% after year one |
Both carry a 30-year performance warranty. The difference is the product warranty, and it favours the cheaper panel.
That is not a criticism of Aiko. It is simply the comparison a customer is entitled to see before deciding.
Why We Don’t Quote Aiko By Default
Two reasons, and neither is about quality.
Supply. Aiko has been genuinely hard to get recently. Where the market is tight on a particular module, a job priced in March can run into a problem in June.
Price volatility. Aiko pricing has moved more than we are comfortable with. If we price a job on one figure and the module has moved significantly by the time we come to order, that conversation goes back to the client. We would rather not create it.
There is a third point that only applies to smaller systems. On a domestic roof you might be fitting ten to fourteen panels. Whatever marginal advantage a premium module offers, it is unlikely to be apparent at that scale. On a commercial array of several hundred panels the maths is different, and we will say so.
If you want Aiko, you can have Aiko. We will just tell you what it means for your programme and your price first.
Are Chinese Solar Panels Lower Quality?
No, and this is the biggest misconception we come across.
We do not look at a panel and judge it by the country printed on the label. We look at the product. There are established Chinese manufacturers producing modules installed on roofs all over the world, and there are cheaper products on the market we would not specify. That is true of most manufacturing industries.
What matters is whether the product is properly tested, whether the specification suits the system, what warranties sit behind it, and whether there is a credible manufacturer standing behind them.
There is another point that is easy to miss.
You can buy an excellent panel and still end up with a poor solar installation. If the system has been badly designed, incorrectly mounted, or poorly installed electrically, paying more for the modules will not save it. On a commercial building the electrical integration is usually the harder and more expensive half of the job, and it is the half nobody asks about.
Is a Solar Panel Made Outside China Really China-Free?
Not necessarily, and we have a live example from our own work.
SOLARWATT panels are sometimes specified on jobs we quote, particularly on Bauder roofing systems. They are a German company, headquartered in Dresden, and they are usually presented as the European alternative. Their glass-glass construction is genuinely good and their warranty is the strongest we have seen anywhere: 30 years product and 30 years performance, covering repair, removal and reinstallation including scaffolding.
But SOLARWATT closed its German module factory at the end of August 2024. Three hundred megawatts of capacity, one hundred and ninety jobs. Their chief executive said at the time that running production in Germany had become extremely difficult economically.
Their own UK site now describes the panels as engineered in Germany. Not made in Germany. Where the modules are manufactured now is not stated.
The reason this matters – We are not making a point against SOLARWATT. It is a good product with an outstanding warranty and we are happy to fit it. The point is that even the panel most often held up as the European option is more complicated than the label suggests — and if we did not check, we would be repeating an assumption to our own clients.
A solar panel is not made in a single step. Polysilicon is processed, formed into ingots and cut into wafers, wafers become cells, cells are assembled into modules. Those stages do not necessarily happen in the same factory, or the same country.
So before you ask for a non-Chinese panel, it is worth being specific about what you are actually asking for.
- A module assembled outside China?
- Or a product with no Chinese manufacturing anywhere in its supply chain?
Those are two very different requests, and only one of them is straightforward to answer.
What About the Ethical Concerns?
This is a legitimate concern and we do not think it should be brushed aside.
The UK Government’s Solar Roadmap estimates that between a third and a half of global solar-grade polysilicon is produced in Xinjiang, where serious concerns have been raised about forced labour and human rights.
Solar is helping businesses across Hertfordshire generate cleaner electricity. That does not mean the industry gets to avoid difficult questions about how the equipment is made.
Customers should be able to ask where products and materials come from. Manufacturers should be under pressure to understand and demonstrate what happens inside their own supply chains. The Solar Stewardship Initiative was set up to improve exactly that, including independent assessment of manufacturing sites.
This is an area where the industry still has work to do, and we would rather say so than pretend otherwise.
What Should You Actually Compare?
| What to check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | An established manufacturer has a track record and support behind the product. |
| Product warranty | Covers manufacturing and material defects. Check the standard term, not the extendable one. |
| Performance warranty | The manufacturer’s warranted output over time, and the annual degradation rate. |
| Certification | Confirms the product has been tested against the relevant standards. |
| Supply-chain transparency | How much the manufacturer can tell you about where materials originate. |
| UK support | Makes warranty claims and technical support far easier if you ever need them. |
| Suitability | The panel still has to be right for the roof, the inverter and the wider system. |
That is a far better comparison than assuming one panel must be better because it was assembled somewhere particular.
How We Decide What to Recommend
We start with the job. What roof are we working with, how much usable space is there, what size system are we designing, and what does the client want it to achieve?
Then we look at the equipment. The module has to suit the system technically, but we also want to know who made it, what warranties sit behind it, and what support exists if something goes wrong in year eleven.
Price matters. It is not the only thing, and neither is the panel. A solar installation is a complete system: modules, inverter, mounting, cabling, electrical protection and the installation itself all have to work together.
Starting with a badge or a country and forcing everything else to fit around it has never struck us as a sensible way to specify a system that has to work for the next twenty-five years.
So Should You Be Concerned About Where Your Panels Come From?
You should be interested in it. There is nothing wrong with asking where your panels were made or where the materials inside them came from, and we think customers asking those questions is a good thing.
What we would avoid is using country of manufacture as a shortcut for judging quality.
China dominates global solar manufacturing. That means most panels installed in the UK are either made there or contain Chinese components somewhere in the supply chain. The more useful questions are about the manufacturer, the specification, the warranty, the certification and whether the equipment is right for your building.
If panel origin matters to you, say so at the survey. We will tell you what we are proposing, why, and what we do and do not know about where it came from.
Synergy PV Renewables installs commercial and residential solar across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and North London. If you want to know exactly what we would put on your roof and why, call 01442 921055 or email hello@synergypvrenewables.co.uk.
Frequently Asked Questions
What solar panels does Synergy PV Renewables install?
Our standard module is the DMEGC 470W glass-glass N-type panel. We also fit Aiko 485W and 490W modules where a client asks for them. Our largest commercial installation, Wenzel’s the Bakers in Watford, used 558 Canadian Solar 410W panels.
Are most solar panels made in China?
Yes. The International Energy Agency puts China at more than 80% of global solar PV module manufacturing capacity, with an even higher share in earlier stages such as wafer and cell production.
Are Chinese solar panels reliable?
Many are. Reliability depends on the manufacturer, the specific product, testing, warranty terms and quality control rather than nationality. There are established Chinese manufacturers supplying panels worldwide.
Can I ask for solar panels that aren’t made in China?
Yes. Tell us before the system is specified. Be aware that a module assembled elsewhere may still contain cells, wafers or raw materials originating in China, so it is worth being clear about exactly what you are trying to avoid.
Are SOLARWATT panels made in Germany?
SOLARWATT is a German company headquartered in Dresden, but it closed its German module production at the end of August 2024. Its UK site now describes the panels as engineered in Germany. If manufacturing origin is the deciding factor for your project, ask the supplier directly where the modules are currently produced.
Does where a panel is made affect its warranty?
Not automatically. Warranty terms are set by the manufacturer. What matters is the length and terms of the cover, the manufacturer behind it, and what support is available if you need to claim
