Introduction : Choosing the right brands for your solar PV system is critical to performance, reliability, and long-term return on investment. At Moontree Solar, we’ve worked extensively with some of the most trusted global brands. Here’s a breakdown of our comparison and what makes each one stand out.
Here’s what you need to know.
Inverter Brands
SIGENERGY
- Our Choice for: Domestic and Commercial
- Warranty: 10-year warranty on inverters, batteries & gateway. 4-Year for EV Chargers.
- Strengths: User-friendly Sigen app, excellent backup support, innovative features, research & development.
- Stackable system: For Inverters, Batterys & EV Chargers.
- Models to suit: Hybrid & String Inverters for Single Phase & Three Phase.
- Unique Features: Beautiful finish. Makes other brands look dated. Gateway & EV Chargers (AC & Super-fast DC).
- Notes: Came into the Irish market late 2023 and have grown a strong base due to clever system design and innovative features not found in other systems.
SAJ
- Great choice for: Domestic and Commercial
- Warranty: 10-year warranty on inverters, batteries.
- Strengths: User-friendly interface, excellent Irish support.
- Stackable system: For Inverters & Batterys.
- Models to suit: Hybrid & String Inverters for Single Phase & Three Phase.
- Unique features: New stackable system is an improvement.
- Notes: Strong performance, reliable and good value.
SOFAR
- Great choice for: Domestic and Commercial
- Strengths: 10-year warranty on inverters, excellent Irish support. Ideal for basic Inverter setup for small/large systems.
- Stackable system: NO
- Models to suit: Hybrid & String Inverters for Single Phase & Three Phase.
- Unique features: NONE
- Notes: Strong performance, reliable, good value and well suited as a standalone string inverter.
Solar Panel Brands
JINKO Solar
- Type: Monocrystalline (445W)
- Product Warranty: 25 years
- Performance Warranty: 30 years, max 0.40% annual degradation
- Why We Use Them: Industry leader with consistent innovation, exceptional long-term performance.
- Trustworthy: Industry leader with consistent innovation, exceptional long-term performance and bombproof build quality. Trusted. Never had a failure yet.
- Value: Exceptional value considering build and reliability of the highest standard.
- R&D: Continuously. The Power of Solar panels produced in 2020 were around 320W. Through constant research and development, by 2023 the average panel was just over 400W. Today the Jinko panels we use for domestic & commercial is 445W.
TW Solar
- Type: Monocrystalline (445W)
- Product Warranty: 25 years
- Performance Warranty: 30 years, max 0.40% annual degradation
- Why We Use Them: Same warranty & performance as JINKO. Will become the new market leader very soon.
- Why? Might be new to solar panel production but have been suppliers of silica to 70% of the world market for solar panels for years. They are a giant about to take over the market.
- Trustworthy: Same bombproof build quality as JINKO.
- Value: Again, exceptional value considering build and reliability of the highest standard.
- R&D: Continuously & accelerating. Both TW & JINKO Solar will continue to push the boundaries and the likelihood is that by 2030 we will be installing Solar Panels with an output over 500Watts.
Other Brands
- There are many, many other brands on the market. Some of the more popular being – Longi Solar, Trina Solar, Canadian Solar, SunPower, JA Solar, LG, Hanwha & Panasonic.
- Some of these brands can produce slightly better performance, but at a far higher cost making them too expensive for a competitive market. SunPower to name one.
- Some brands produced in Germany such as Hanwha are slowing production due to a decline in the German market.
- Many of these well-known brands are finding it difficult to compete with the bigger brands. Trina Solar and SunPower are to name just two. These brands are likely to pull out of the Irish market soon.
Our Conclusion:
Stick to the Giants – JINKO & TW Solar. They are doing everything right and continuing to provide updated panels with increasing power (every 2-3 months power is increasing). They are likely to be still standing after the others fall. At the end of the day, if a product does happen to fail over the course of 25 years, we want to be as sure as we can that the company, we purchase from will provide us with a free replacement panel under warranty.
Battery Brands
SAJ Batteries
- Type: Stackable lithium-ion
- Strengths: Compact design, 10-year warranty, ideal for Irish homes
- Notes: Integration with SAJ Hybrid inverters
SIGENERGY Batteries
- Type: Stackable lithium-ion
- Strengths: Compact design, 10-year warranty, ideal for Irish homes
- Notes: Integration with SIGENERGY Hybrid inverters. Safest on the market with multi-stage fireproofing and inbuilt fire extinguishers.
Dyness Batteries
- Type: Aftermarket lithium-ion
- Strengths: Compact design, 10-year warranty, ideal for budget installs and attics. Commercial systems are great value per performance with large capacity systems available.
- Notes: Wall/floor mounting suits SAJ & SOFAR Hybrid inverters. Budget pricing but with the same performance & warranty as SAJ & SIGENERGY. Well renowned brand for 3rd party integration.
- Downside: Not as neat as a Stackable systems. Take up more space and requires fireproofing and battery Isolation for many installations.
Cheap Battery Brands
Caution: Be careful, there are many, many battery brands offering higher performance and lower cost. Some may be true, many are false. Unknown brands may not integrate correctly with inverters which will cause issues, primarily safety. Many of the cheap batterys are built in a shed, not a factory and not be tested to the same standard as a premium brand.
SMART Accessories
myenergi – 3rd party accessories
Zappi EV Charger
- Strengths: Smart grid balancing, works with solar, easy-to-use app
- Warranty: 3 years
- Downside: Sigenergy has an AC option that can function from the same Sigen app making it more convenient and a more straight forward one-type integration. Sigenergy also have a Super-Fast DC Charger which is stackable within the one system.
Eddi Heating Diversion
- Strengths: Maximises solar usage by diverting excess energy to heat your immersion
- Warranty: 3 years
- Note: Great aftermarket item to use with SAJ & SOFAR Inverters.
- Downside: Sigenergy system has this system for free, when purchasing the Gateway.
* SIGENERGY Gateway has a SMART PORT system which we normally setup as an energy diverter and is conveniently available to use on the same Sigen app. The one Sigen app – manages your inverter, battery storage and immersion heating.
Summary:
At Moontree Solar, we carefully select brands that offer:
- Proven reliability and safety compliance
- Long warranties and upgrade paths
- Local and European based support
- Future-proof design and integration with new technologies
We don’t believe in cutting corners—and we only use products that we’d install in our own homes.
If you’re comparing quotes or need advice on hardware selection, get in touch. We’ll gladly review your options and help you find the right fit.
