Top solar panel companies in South Africa

The solar panel (also known as “PV panel”) is a collection of solar cells that are made to absorb light as a source of energy and convert it to electricity that can be used in a range of applications including commercial and residential applications.

The use of solar panels comes with a basket full of benefits. For instance, solar power is a clean, green source of energy and it is therefore environmentally friendly. The use of solar power also reduces over-dependence on other sources of electricity which are communally used and not very convenient.   Not to mention that once installed, solar power becomes a free form of energy hence reducing energy-related costs.

For this and many more reasons, the demand for solar panels is increasing steadily around the world as well as the product manufacturers and suppliers who offer different services and solar panels quality. The effectiveness and lifespan of any purchased solar product depend a lot upon the manufacturer or supplier it was bought from.

Here is a list of top solar panel companies in South Africa that will help you meet your solar power needs head-on and never regret your decision to go solar.

Specialized Battery Systems

Specialized Battery Systems is very qualified and experienced in various designs and types of solar systems. Guided by the company’s motto “THE RIGHT ADVICE, THE RIGHT DESIGN, THE RIGHT PRODUCT” they offer free advice so that at the end of the day the client goes back satisfied and with the right product that shall meet their expectations.

SBS has a large distribution network across Africa that enables the company to supply its products from small systems – such as 20W Solar Home systems for light or larger 10KW systems for whole houses just as easily. The company can also design solar systems to suit most applications.

 From the company, here is Colin Mackay’s, advice to a customer looking to buy solar panels.

Advice number one: always choose a reputable supplier – who has a good track record and experience. Secondly: make sure the product they are offering is of decent quality – the supplier choice should aid in this lastly: always note that cheap is more often than not a sign of poor quality – CHEAPER IS NOT GENERALLY BETTER. 

Genergy

Genergy’s core business is the engineering, procurement and construction of solar PV and solar thermal plants. Genergy also provides operations and maintenance for all systems installed.

Genergy is differentiated from other similar companies by its consistent sourcing of best-in-class components and its engineering of each turnkey solution to efficiently maximize the benefit to the client in terms of generation output and return on investment.

Solar thermal hot water systems in the mining sector and large-scale rooftop solar PV systems in the industrial and commercial sectors make up the bulk of the Genergy product portfolio to date.

Currently, the company solely operates from South Africa but it has the capability to deliver its products in the broader African market.

”Tier One solar panels have the best conversion efficiency; you should not compromise on the quality of equipment to decrease capital cost as the performance reflects this choice” advises Kimberley Clare Nanson the public relations manager for Genergy, “Regulations surrounding the installation of solar panels varies from city to city, so it is essential to make sure local rules and regulations are followed, as well as health and safety laws when installing solar panels.” she concludes.

Valsa Trading

Valsa has partnered with some of the leading companies operating in the African market and for over ten years the company has been a supplier of choice for a comprehensive range of products in the solar energy sector. The company also designs, manufactures and supplies mounting systems to the PV Solar Industry on the African continent.

Valsa has Subsidiaries in Kenya and Zimbabwe, Channel partners in Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Swaziland, Madagascar Malawi and Mauritius in addition to their ability to export their products in any other country across Africa.

“It is important to only buy panels from tier one companies, those that are recognized by Blumberg with good track records, quality control etc. Potential customers should only buy from well-known brands as the investment is high and the panels are the main component.” says Svilen Voychev, the Managing Director of Valsa Trading adding that solar customers should Stay away from cheap inferior products because “if you make a mistake, the PV Solar installation will generate less power and not provide a durable and sustainable solution.”

Asunim Solar

Asunim Solar South Africa cooperates with the best manufacturers and suppliers of PV solar components in the world. The company also does solar installation.

As an EPC company, Asunim’s main focus is to work with the client to find the best answer to their needs and develop a full engineering solution. For every particular project, Asunim Solar chooses the best solution for the client in terms of PV panels, Inverters, Cabling and Structures that match the technical specifications.

After procurement, the company can arrange with the client to fully install the Solar PV System providing the first 2 years of Operations and Management free of charge.

Asunim Solar South Africa is one of Asunim Group, a multinational group of companies operating worldwide. Asunim Group has footprints in Portugal, Spain, the UK, Greece, Italy, Turkey, Chile, UAE and South Africa.

According to JOSE DE FREITAS, Asunim South Africa CEO, the best advice to a customer who has made the decision to go Solar is that they should look for the best brands with an impeccable track record of professionalism and expertise.

“Solar and Storage solutions can be quite tricky and complicated. There are a lot of different solar panels and inverters in the market. There are also a lot of people trying to take advantage of this opportunity and although the entrepreneurial effort is commendable, a customer needs to realize that experience, know-how and expertise do not happen overnight.”

“For example, when buying a car, one should go for a serious brand, and look for an honest dealership, but trusting a stranger with a background in gardening to build you a car is never a good idea, no matter how cost-effective this might sound at the beginning, In the long run, all the money spent will go to waste,” he concluded.   

Sinetech (PTY) ltd 

Sinetech was established in 1995 and has since been South Africa’s leading Solar Energy service provider in PV Solar Power. Battery Backup Power. UPS Systems, Power Protection, Power Conversion, Power Distribution and Renewable Energy products. Nevertheless, the company is one of the largest distributors of inverters and other power products on the African continent, stocking all major brands and components.

 SInetech offers a technology called Individual Module Management (IMM), which allows the customer to monitor their solar array down to the very last solar panel, so no more guessing and time wasting, you can go straight to the fault and repair it. IMM can be retrofitted to most high-end solar panels.

The company also has CIGS thin-film solar panels. This is a thin film of photovoltaic chemicals over a tough traditional solar glass panel. These CIGS thin-film solar panels perform extremely well consistently yielding around 14% more energy per day than the traditional solar panel technologies.

In addition, Sinetech’s solar streetlights, with built-in lithium-ion batteries and security cameras as well as a 5-year warranty, are being rolled out in projects across the African continent.

The solar panel brands that Sinetech sells are underwritten by warranties from the manufacturers themselves.  They come with a 25-year linear performance warranty which means that after 25 years in operation, the solar panel will still be producing at least 80% of the energy that it was producing on day one. There are even panels with 35-year linear performance guarantees, and counting, as the panels continue to perform in the field.

Here’s Alex Hattingh from the Sinetech sales department’s advice to solar panel customers, “Do not make your purchasing decision on price alone or be misled by a “price per watt” figure. Lab conditions and real-world conditions are quite different – so are you actually getting the full watts of your panels once it is placed on your roof and once all your cables are in place to create your system?”

Seraphim Solar South Africa

Seraphim Solar South Africa is a world-class solar products manufacturer. Since its foundation in 2011, the company has been specializing in research, development, production, and sales of solar PV products.

Seraphim is accredited as a Batch I Smart Manufacturing Plant by the Jiangsu Government, the Witness Laboratory Accreditation Certificate (WMTC) by CSA and the TMP Laboratory Certificate by TUV SUD in addition to being listed as a Tier 1 solar module maker by BNEF

The company’s solar panels are locally produced with up to 80% local Content, superior quality and innovation in order to perfectly match or be effective in the African continent’s weather conditions.

The company’s manufacturing Facility is based in East London and their products are present in over 40 countries across the world. They can always be found in major centres.

“If you intend to invest in solar power, always look for a Tier 1 manufacturer with a solid RND facility and vigorous testing lab and you will never look back and be ashamed of your decision,” says Mokebe Tutubala, Sales & Business Development Manager at Seraphim Solar South Africa.

“If you intend to invest in solar power, always look for a Tier 1 manufacturer with a solid RND facility and vigorous testing lab and you will never look back and be ashamed of your decision,” says   Mokebe Tutubala, Sales & Business Development Manager at Seraphim Solar South Africa.

Jetion Solar 

Jetion Solar is a state-owned enterprise which is a part of CNBM (China National Building Materials Group Corporation). The company has a good reputation and comprehensive strength over the world with over 15 offices worldwide and selling to more than 500 supplier companies.

Jetion has also been a part of many large-scale projects all over the world and offers cost-effective price panels and EPC cooperation. At present according to Andy ZHOU who is in charge of module panel sales and EPC cooperation at Jetion, the company supplies Poly 265Wp/270Wp/275Wp/325Wp/330Wp/335Wp about 20 MW and they offer quotations upon request.

Specialized Solar Systems

Specialized Solar Systems supply solar solutions for almost every need – from solar-powering indigent disconnected communities with its remotely managed Smart DC Grid Technology to turnkey renewable energy and water pumping solutions for the agricultural, residential and commercial sectors throughout Africa.  The company has the perfect solar energy solution for every need.

Specialized Solar Systems has distributors across African countries for example Botswana and Zimbabwe and its head office is based in George, South Africa

“It is a great move you have made to go solar. Buy genuine products from a credible supplier/ manufacturer and Start saving while you enjoy energy security after installation.” Says Andrew Behrens from Specialized Solar Systems

Mustek Energy

As a part of Mustek Limited, Mustek Energy supplies a wide range of solar products in Africa through their distribution partners in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Namibia, Botswana and Mozambique among others.

Mustek Energy is currently the only company in South Africa bringing GCL products into the country. GCL is a tier 1 supplier of solar PV (Photo Voltaic). The company is well entrenched in manufacturing within the energy sector and is reportedly supplying products to the Solar industry. 

Mustek after careful consideration opted to work with GCL because it understands that solar panels are a long-term investment and it is important to choose a reliable supplier and manufacturer and that is where RenewSys and GCL come in.

Mike Cassidy, the Solar Product Manager at Mustek Ltd, giving his advice to people looking to buy solar products says “Typical warranties are 10 years on Solar PV and we all know a product’s warranty is only as good as the people supplying and offering one, PLEASE check that the manufacturer is still going to be around for the next 10 years. As we already see big brands disappearing from the industry and with them the background and the warranty.”

Solar Energy Group

Solar Energy Group is focused and determined to help Africa meet its energy needs in a clean and natural way which is more pocket-friendly compared to other forms of energy while making the continent independent of the national grid.

The company is achieving this goal by collaborating with other companies with the same vision in providing turnkey solutions. In simple terms, Solar Energy Group designs, supplies, installs and maintains solar systems. If required the company also supplies or installs single solar-related components.

Speaking to solar product customers, Mr Brown from Solar Energy Group says “Look at it as a long-term investment, with the potential of a payback period of five to ten years. Invest in quality durable products. Use reputable solar system installers.”

Canadian Solar

Founded in 2001, Canadian Solar operates as a global energy provider with successful business subsidiaries in over 6 continents. In Africa, Canadian Solar products can be found in South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Nigeria, and Ghana among many other countries.

The company is a Tier one manufacturer that follows strict quality and standard guidelines like IEC standards and it’s also an implementer of new technologies in regards to solar panels. For this reason, Canadian Solar has managed to develop the first poly module exceeding 400 W producing one of the highest poly module power outputs in the solar industry. In addition, the module is designed to reduce LCOE and installation costs. The company offers a 10 to 30-year guarantee on their products.

“Solar modules have increased in the market due to their high demand and they come in different qualities at different prices. The poorest quality comes at the cheapest price. Make sure you are buying high-quality products although they are a bit expensive than ordinary products, you find quality assurance.” says Wido from Canadian Solar South Africa.

Solar Imports

Solar Imports is a solar product Importer specifically targeting the Wholesale and Installer market, with an objective to offer top-quality solar products at competitive rates by pooling resources and combining knowledge and experience in Importation, Distribution and Electrical knowledge.

The company is also the sole distributor of SHENZHEN KING SAKO ELECTRONIC CO. LTD(SAKO) solar products which range from solar power stations, inverters, solar controllers, solar panels, home solar systems, batteries, home inverters, UPS’s and solar water pump systems among others.

These products are distributed throughout South Africa by Solar imports with resellers as their primary focus. The resellers then proceed to sell and install the products to end users.

“The best advice to whoever is looking to go solar, look at grade A Solar panels with a 25-year life span. In regards to Inverters, choose the ones with at least a 1-year warranty and backup service from the supplier to do repairs. Also important is the backup service from the supplier. If the end user cannot sort out any issues in a short time period, it will not be beneficial.” says Wessel Duif, Electrician and partner at Solar Imports.

GreenLine Africa

With a collective experience of over 20 years in sustainability, GreenLine Africa solutions provider is a company dedicated to enabling the uptake of Renewable Energy by specializing in matching the most innovative technologies to the most pressing energy needs in the society.

The company is one of the very few in the Sub Saharan Africa offering an advanced solar thermal parabolic collector for heat process in the industry. The only one that can get up to 160 degree Celsius.

It has a production line, the first of its kind in South Africa and the entire African continent, with an annual capacity of 100,000 m².

“My advice to power consumers,” says David Volkwyn, the Sales & Marketing Director at GreenLine Africa, “is to save the planet by moving away from fossil fuels and other nonrenewable sources of power.”

PiA Solar

PiA Solar is a unique company in Africa’s solar power industry. The company, based in South Africa, offers the most cost effective, long term and proven ContouR+ Single Axis tracking systems for both utility and commercial scale solar projects around the world. A horizontal azimuth tracker is capable of contour tracking the sun along and between rows (up to 60 modules per row and 32 rows wide). PiA’s unique design forms a mass balanced system, reducing wear and tear and self-consumption and the round bearer beams allow for better torsion.

PiA Solar also designs and manufactures an extensive range of ground mounted steel structures for the installation of PV Modules. All structures are available with HDG or Z275 pre-galvanized coatings, they are seamlessly joined to create longer and more cost effective rows (up to 200m) and allow for both expansion and contour following. The ContouR+ products mount on the trusted PiA Solar Anchor range and have been utilized in over 400MW of solar installations throughout Africa. PiA has a 1 GWp track record for the supply and/or installation of solar mounting structures.

Their carport systems which are designed to be light weight as well as cost effective, can be installed either north facing north entry or north facing south entry. Both single and double carports accommodate modules directly mounted to the structure or with roof sheets and are certified for a 5-10° tilt angle and 5m width between posts. PIAs single carports can house 2 vehicles. All structures are supplied with an HDG (hot dipped galvanizing) finish.