The global annual solar power production in South Africa is estimated to reach 500 GW by 2020. The installed capacity of the country is expected to be 8,400 MW by 2030.

Such fast growth makes South Africa one of the fastest-growing solar energy markets in the world.  

Most areas in South Africa receive more than 2,500 hours of sunshine per year on average, and this high irradiation is ideal for producing significant amounts of solar power. 

Most of the leading solar panel manufacturers supply solar panels in South Africa, and based on that, we have listed the best 10 solar panels available in the country.

List of the Best Solar Panels in South Africa

Canadian Solar Panels, South Africa 

Website: http://www.canadiansolar.com/

Founded in 2001, Canadian Solar is a top manufacturer of solar PV modules and panels in the world. The company’s office in South Africa is located in Newlands.

Canadian Solar has more than 1,200 clients worldwide and has delivered over 36 GW of high-quality solar modules to customers in more than 160 countries in the past two decades. 

Various solar modules the company manufactures are:

  • All-Black: Aesthetics
  • BiKu: Bifacial
  • BiHiKu: 400 W + Bifacial
  • Dymond: Double-glass
  • HiKu: 400+Watt
  • HiDM: High-density shingle
  • Ku: High efficiency
  • MaxPower: 72 cells
  • Standard: 60 cells

The listed solar panels do not have Potential Induced Degradation (PID) and can withstand high temperatures, high humidity, sandstorms, ultraviolet, and corrosion.

Also, the latest solar panels of Canadian Solar have been made with heat-strengthened glass instead of the traditional polymer backsheet. 

Canadian Solar’s PV panels go through stringent tests and proven under harsh conditions, and come with a 25-year warranty.

Seraphim Solar Panels, South Africa

Website: https://www.seraphim-energy.com/

Established in 2011, Seraphim Solar has gained a reputation for producing world-class solar products. Seraphim Solar’s office in South Africa is located in Ikhala Road, Eastern Cape.

The company specializes in research, development, manufacturing, and sales of solar cells and solar modules.  

Other than South Africa, Seraphim’s global operation is spread out in the countries, including China, Japan, and Australia.

The company produces the following solar products:

Solar Modules: 

  • Standard series 
  • 1500V series 
  • Dual glass series
  • Eclipse Series
  • Bifacial Series
  • Blade Bifacial
  • Blade Series
  • Eclipse Mini.

Solar Cells: 

  • Polly solar cell
  • Mono solar cell

Seraphim is listed as Tier 1 solar module manufacturer by BNEF. Currently, the global production capacity of the company is 5GW.

Also, Seraphim has received accreditation as Batch I Smart Manufacturing Plant by Jiangsu Government, China, the Witness Laboratory Accreditation Certificate (WMTC) by CSA, and TMP Laboratory Certificate by TUV SUD. 

SHARP Solar Panels, South Africa

Website: https://global.sharp/solar/en/

Founded in 1912, Sharp has been a pioneer in solar power research and got acclaimed for its high-quality solar products and services in Japan, and also all over the world. 

Sharp began mass production of solar cells from 1963. Sharp solar panels are available in South Africa through wholesalers/distributors and resellers.

Sharp provides both polycrystalline and monocrystalline photovoltaic solar panels with the capacity from 258W to 300W:

  • NQR258H: These 48-cell monocrystalline modules have the highest efficiency of 20.0%. The capacity of the modules is 258W.
  • NUAK300B: Completely black monocrystalline solar modules with 300W capacity.
  • NDAK275: Polycrystalline solar modules with 275W capacity, available at a low price.
  • ND-AF330C: Polycrystalline solar modules with 330W capacity.

More than 1 million customers all over the world use Sharp solar modules. If all modules are put together (12GW), they would be able to encircle the world.

Yingli Solar Panels, South Africa

Website: http://www.yinglisolar.com/

Yingli Solar is headquartered in Baoding, China, and its solar panels are available in many countries around the world, including South Africa. 

In fact, Yingli Solar has so far shipped solar panels with a total capacity of 20 GW in more than 90 countries.

The solar modules of Yingli Solar incorporate its award-winning advanced solar technology. 

The vertically-integrated business model of the company covers the entire solar panel production process, from polysilicon to ingots and from solar cells to quality solar panels.

The solar PV modules the company produces include:

  • Smart Series: YGE 60 Cell Series 2 HSF Smart, YGE 72 Cell Series 2 HSF Smart, YLM 60 Cell HSF Smart, and YLM 72 Cell HSF Smart.
  • VG Series: YGE-VG 60 Cell Series 2, YGE-VG 72 Cell Series 2, YLM-VG 60 Cell, 
  • YLM-VG 72 Cell
  • UL 1500V: YGE 60 Cell Series 2 1500V, YGE 72 Cell Series 2 1500V, YLM 60 Cell 1500V, and YLM 72 Cell 1500V.
  • UL Standard Series Solar Modules: Solar modules in this series are YGE 60 Cell Series 2, YGE 72 Cell Series 2, YLM 60 Cell, and YLM 72 Cell.

Homeowners, businesses, and communities worldwide often face energy and environmental challenges.

Yingli Solar is committed to resolving such issues by providing affordable green energy for all.

Jinko Solar Panels, South Africa

Website: http://www.jinkosolar.com/

Jinko Solar is one of the major and most innovative solar module manufacturers in the world. 

The company distributes its solar products and services to a wide range of international utility, commercial, and residential customer bases in South Africa, China, the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Chile, India, and many other countries. 

JinkoSolar has developed a vertically integrated solar product value chain with an annual capacity of 10.5 GW for silicon wafers, 7.4 GW for solar cells, and 12.6 GW for solar modules, as of June 30, 2019.

The series of solar modules the company produces are:

  • Eagle Series: Eagle 60 and Eagle 72.
  • Eagle PERC: Eagle PERC 60 and Eagle PERC 72.
  • Cheetah Mono PERC HC: Cheetah HC 60M and Cheetah HC 72M.
  • Cheetah Mono PERC: Cheetah 60M and Cheetah 60M.
  • Cheetah Mono PERC Dual: Cheetah Dual 60M and Cheetah Dual 72M.
  • Swan Transparent Backsheet HC: Swan Bifacial HC 60M and Swan Bifacial HC 72M.
  • Swan Dual Glass HC: Swan Bifacial 60H and Swan Bifacial 72H.

JinkoSolar has seven production facilities and 15 overseas subsidiaries globally. 

Also, Jinko Solar has global sales teams in South Africa, China, the United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, Spain, Bulgaria, Greece, and other countries in nearly all the continents. 

Jetion Solar Panels, South Africa

Website: http://en.jetion.com.cn/

Founded in 2004, Jetion Solar is headquartered in China, and is among the top 30 Chinese companies and a Fortune 500 company, 

The company has more than 15 offices all over the world, and also its solar modules and solar panels are available in most countries, including South Africa.

Jetion Solar manufactures and sells the following high-quality solar modules:

  • JT SXk Mono-crystalline Bifacial Dual-glass Module
  • JT STm Mono-crystalline Lightweight Dual-glass Module
  • JT SPm Mono-crystalline 156 Module
  • JT SAh Mono-crystalline 156 Module
  • JT PIg Multi-crystalline Shingled Module
  • JT PGg Multi-crystalline Half-cut Module
  • JT PPg Multi-crystalline 156 Module
  • JT PAg Multi-crystalline 156 Module.

All these solar modules are quite unique in terms of high-conversion efficiency, performance in low-light conditions, and withstanding severe weather.

Due to its quality of solar modules and panels, Jetion Solar had been awarded the “Fastest-Growing Company” from “Deloitte Top 50 Hi-tech, High-growth Companies” in 2008 and 2009, respectively.

ARTsolar Panels, South Africa

Website: https://artsolar.net/

ARTsolar was founded in 2010, and its office in South Africa is located in Durban.

ARTsolar is a 100% locally-owned and is said to be the only South African PV manufacturer, which specializes in manufacturing solar panels for the Northern Cape PV farms. 

The company’s facility is capable of laminating and framing PV modules, with a capacity of up to 300MW in a year. 

The diverse range of solar panels that the company offers include the following:

  • ARTsolar – 100 Watt Solar Panel – Polycrystalline
  • ARTsolar – 285 Watt Solar Panel – 60 Cell Polycrystalline
  • ARTsolar – 300 Watt Solar Panel – Mono Percium
  • ARTsolar – 310 Watt Solar Panel – Mono Percium
  • ARTsolar – 340 Watt Solar Panel – Polycrystalline
  • ARTsolar – 300 Watt Solar Panel – Mono Percium – Full Black
  • ARTsolar – 305 Watt Solar Panel – Mono Percium – Full Black
  • ARTsolar – 370 Watt Solar Panel – Mono Percium
  • ARTsolar – 365 Watt Solar Panel – Mono Percium – Full Black

The business model ARTsolar has implemented the wholesale/retail network of PV modules and related equipment so that these products reach directly to specialist installers and general consumers.

JA Solar Panels, South Africa

Website:  http://www.jasolar.com/html/en/

Established in 2005, JA Solar has been a leading worldwide distributor of solar modules, solar cells, silicon wafers, and a complete range of PV systems. 

The company sells its solar products in more than 120 countries. 

In 2018, Q4, the company had shipped solar modules with a cumulative capacity of 35 GW to its 33,000 clients around the world. 

JA Solar provides solar modules that have excellent conversion efficiency, yield efficiency, and reliability so that customers can maximize the returns of their PV installations.

The solar cells and modules come with a 5-year quality guarantee and a 10-25-year power output guarantee.

The solar products are below: 

Bifacial Mono PERC Double Glass Modules:

  • 60-Cell Bifacial Mono PERC Double Glass Module
  • 60-Cell Bifacial Mono PERC Double Glass Module (30mm)
  • 72-Cell Bifacial Mono PERC Double Glass Module
  • 72-Cell Bifacial Mono PERC Double Glass Module (30mm).

Standard Modules:

  • 60-Cell Mono PERC Module
  • 72-Cell Mono PERC Module
  • 60-Cell Poly Module
  • 72-Cell Poly Module

Half-Cell Modules:

  • 60-cell Half-cell PERC Module
  • 72-cell Half-cell PERC Module
  • 60-cell Half-cell Poly Module
  • 72-cell Half-cell Poly Module.

MBB Half-Cell Modules:

  • 60-cell MBB Half-cell Module
  • 72-cell MBB Half-cell Module

JA Solar has been listed on Fortune China 500 and Global Top 500 New Energy Enterprises for several consecutive years.

IBC Solar Panels, South Africa

Website: https://www.ibc-solar.co.za/

Since 1982, IBC Solar has been providing world-class large ground-mounted PV plants, smaller rooftop systems for both on-grid and off-grid projects.

IBC’s office in South Africa is located in Cape Town. Other than South Africa, the company has its subsidiaries in countries such as Germany, Czech Republic, India, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, and a few more countries.

The company has an impressive track record of installing 3,300 MWp power, out of which more than 520 MWp are large-scale solar parks.

Some of the solar modules IBC Solar offers are below:

  • IBC MonoSol 200 CS monocrystalline solar module
  • IBC SoloSol 155 CS4 polycrystalline solar module
  • IBC PolySol 275 CS5 polycrystalline solar module
  • IBC MonoSol 325 ZL-MB Black monocrystalline solar module
  • IBC MonoSol 310 OS5 monocrystalline solar module
  • IBC MonoSol 315 OS5 monocrystalline solar module
  • IBC MonoSol 330 MS-HC monocrystalline solar module
  • IBC MonoSol 335 MS-HC monocrystalline solar module.

The company collaborates with more than 1,000 specialist partners worldwide, from solar engineers to electrical contractors to the roofer to make sure its solar products reach end consumers.  

CNBM Solar Panels, South Africa 

Website: http://www.cnbmsolar.com/

Founded in 1984, CNBM International Corporation is a solar panel manufacturer based in China. 

The solar panels produced by CNBM are quite popular in South Africa, Europe, Australia, England, the Middle East, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Singapore.

The solar panels of CNBM are listed below:

Monocrystalline Silicon Solar Panels:

  • Monocrystalline 10W-50W
  • Monocrystalline 60W-85W
  • Monocrystalline 90W-130W
  • Monocrystalline 185W-205W
  • Monocrystalline 275W-300W
  • Monocrystalline 330W-360W

Polycrystalline Silicon Solar Panels:

  • Polycrystalline 3W-30W
  • Polycrystalline 45W-75W
  • Polycrystalline 85W-130W
  • Polycrystalline 175W-195W
  • Polycrystalline 260W-280W
  • Polycrystalline 310W-335W

The products of CNBM Solar have received international authorized certificates such as TUV, UL, and CE.

The Way Forward

Solar power has a huge potential in South Africa out of most other renewable energy sources. Due to the country’s favourable geographic location, it receives substantial amounts of radiative energy that is useful for generating solar electricity.

As of now, however, two main obstacles in the way of the solar energy industry in South Africa are the lack of energy innovation and the high cost of renewable energy technologies.

The influx of leading solar panel brands into the South African market, along with the integration of advanced technologies, may remove those two obstacles. Also, rolling out government-backed tax incentive programs have been popularizing solar energy for mass usage.

As a solar installer, if you are seeking to expand your business in South Africa, providing the listed solar modules and solar panels can make your venture fruitful. This is why getting into business partnerships with these manufacturers or their direct distributors may prove to be the right move for your business.