LONGi Solar review

LONGi Solar - Solar Panel Reviews

4.9

Based on 1503 ratings

Finn's LONGi Solar Panels Review & Verdict

Finn Peacock has been a Chartered Electrical Engineer since 1998, and is ex-CSIRO

Pretty cheap, pretty damn good. It is a huge company with excellent R&D in China and well supported down under. The performance is nothing to get excited about but is as good as any other good budget panel brand. Putting LONGi solar panels on your roof is a pretty safe bet.

LONGi Solar Panels: Pros & Cons

  • Large vertically integrated company
  • Reasonably priced
  • Excellent quality
  • As used by the very astute John Inglis from Positronic
  • As used by SQ's in-house installer, Anthony on his Mum's place
  • None to think of, bar the overall growth in size/awkwardness of the panel dimensions - which almost every panel maker is going through

About LONGi Solar

LONGi Solar is the world's largest manufacturer of solar panels and has held this position for three years. In the solar industry, that's a Longi time. But they may not be number one for long. In 2022 they only produced 5% more panel capacity than their closest rival and that's not a long lead. But the odds aren't long they'll remain the top producer for the next few years.

This Chinese company became a solar giant by producing panels with a good combination of affordability and reliability. While some of their panels only come with a fairly standard 12 year product warranty, others are backed up with 25 years. They also produce one of the highest efficiency panels available.

Because they're reliable and good value for money, LONGi Solar panels are among those SolarQuotes recommends. I'd be fine with having them installed on my mother's roof. In fact, my co-worker, Anthony, did put them on his mum's roof.

Company History

LONGi Solar was founded in 2000. While I know it's hard to believe, the company wasn't named after Australian solar legend Jack "Longy" Long. Instead, it was named after Jiang Longji, a university president who died in 1966. The name choice makes it look like the young company was trying to curry favour with the Chinese government, but LONGi's founders insist it was just because he was a really cool dude.

Initially, LONGi produced silicon for electronics. In 2005 they began producing silicon for solar and in 2006 they had enough capacity to make around 1,000 tonnes a year. They then began climbing their way up the solar supply chain, starting with cutting the silicon ingots they made into wafers used for solar cells. In 2014 they purchased a solar panel manufacturing company and this completed their transformation into an enormous, vertically integrated company, involved in all major steps of solar panel production. They have continued expanding at a rapid rate and in 2021 also moved into producing equipment for hydrogen production.

Production

In 2022 LONGi shipped a massive 46.76 gigawatts of solar panels. Enough to generate around one-third of Australia's electricity consumption. Not bad for one year's output by a single company.

A little over half that production was sold in China and the rest was exported. In 2022 China installed 87 gigawatts of solar, which made LONGi panels 28% of this new capacity. So in that year, LONGi Solar was the largest single contributor to China's transition to renewable energy.

Monosilicon Only

Two types of silicon are used to make solar panels -- polysilicon and monosilicon. LONGi only makes and uses monosilicon. While more expensive than polysilicon, it has higher efficiency and has been gradually gaining market share. Almost all panels going on Australian roofs these days are monosilicon.

Production Locations

LONGi's headquarters are in Xi'an, a city of 13 million that's famous for flatbread in lamb soup and terracotta dudes. It's located in Shaanxi province, which has goddamned beautiful mountains that often can't be seen because of goddamn awful air pollution. The bulk of LONGi's silicon production occurs in this province.

Most of LONGi's production is in China but they also have factories in Malaysia and Vietnam. For years now they've been talking about opening facilities in India, but that project has been really slow to get off the ground. They've also announced they'll build a plant in Ohio in the United States, able to produce 5 gigawatts of panels a year.

LONGi Panels

Currently, in September 2023, LONGi Solar has 11 panels on their Australian site in their residential category. They are all called "Hi-MO" and range from Hi-MO4m, through Hi-MO5m, to Hi-MO6. For their two Hi-MO6 panels, they've also started tacking on nicknames, so there are "Scientist" and "Explorer" versions. I'm sure a scientist would appreciate having some quality PV on their roof, but I don't think an explorer would want to lug around a 20.8kg solar panel.

In May 2023, LONGi launched their Hi-MO7 panel. This large panel is aimed at the solar farm market and -- last time I checked -- isn't approved for use in Australia.

Up to 23% Efficiency

I'm writing this in September 2023 and, at this time, the efficiency of LONGi panels range from a not bad 18.9% to an awesome 23%. The Hi-MO6 "Scientist" panel can be up to 23% efficient, which makes it equal best with the SunPower Maxeon 6 panels for highest efficiency available.

If you have plenty of room on your roof for the solar system you want to install, then panel efficiency usually isn't an important consideration. But if you're trying to fit as much solar capacity as possible into a limited space, then high efficiency panels are very useful.

Fair To Wonderful Heat Resistance

Heat lowers the efficiency of solar panels. Choosing heat resistant panels can slightly boost their energy output. In practice, the benefit is usually small and amounts to less than 2% difference in overall generation, but every bit helps.

The loss of efficiency due to heat is given by a panel's "Temperature Coefficent of Pmax". For LONGi Hi-MO4 panels it's -0.35%/°C. This means for every degree Celsius above 25, the panels have their efficiency reduced by 0.35%. So if a panel was at 45°C it would only provide 93% as much energy as when it was 25°C. Hi-MO5 panels are slightly better and only decline in efficiency by -0.34%/°C.

While the Hi-MO4 and Hi-MO5 have better heat resistance than some panels, they are similar to most other good quality panels on the market. But the Hi-MO6 panels have excellent heat resistance and only lose -0.29%/°C. This makes them equal to SunPower Maxeon 6 panels, which have similar efficiency.

Warranties

Solar panels come with two types of warranties:

  • Product warranties that guarantee the materials and workmanship.
  • Performance warranties which promise a minimum level of performance over time.

With LONGi panels, they come down to two main choices:

  1. A 12 year or 25 year product warranty.
  2. A 25 year performance warranty that allows up to 0.55% capacity loss per year or a 25 year performance warranty that allows up to 0.4% capacity loss per year.

Product Warranties: 12 Years Vs. 25 Years

LONGi's Hi-MO4m panels all have 12 year product warranties. This isn't bad, but is nothing special these days.

Most of their Hi-MO5m panels have long 25 year warranties -- but watch out! This one appears to only have 12 years.

All the Hi-MO6 panels have long 25 year product warranties.

If you get LONGi panels with a 12 year product warranty, you're unlikely to have problems. But LONGi obviously believes their 25 year product warranty panels have a reliability edge. Because the price difference is modest, I definitely recommend ones with 25 year product warranties. The only time I'd normally recommend getting the shorter warranty panels is if their lower cost allows you to install a larger solar system.

Performance Warranties: 0.55% Capacity Loss Vs. 0.4%

The performance warranties of LONGi's Hi-MO4 and Hi-MO5 panels allow a 2% decline in their rated capacity during their first year, followed by a 0.55% decline in each subsequent year. This means by the end of their 25 year performance warranty, they will be at a minimum of 84.8% of their original capacity. This isn't bad, but isn't exceptional for well-made panels these days.

What is exceptional are their Hi-MO6 panels. These allow 1.5% capacity loss in the first year followed by 0.4% loss in each subsequent year. This means after 25 years they'll still have a minimum of 89.8% of their original capacity.

While it's definitely preferable to have a performance warranty with a lower loss rate, in practice it's likely to result in your system generating under 2% extra energy over 25 years. This isn't a large advantage, but if you want panels likely to still work well several decades from now, they'd be a good choice.

Making A Warranty Claim

The odds are good you'll never need to make a warranty claim on LONGi panels, particularly if you get ones with a 25 year product warranty. But if a problem does occur, the first person you should contact is the installer who provided them. If they're no longer around, you can contact LONGi Solar's Australian office directly:

LONGi Australia General Enquires: 02 8484 5805.

If you prefer to send an email, LONGi says they'll reply within 24 hours. Their email address is: [email protected].

100% Renewable Production By 2028

In 2020 LONGi committed to using 100% renewable energy by 2028. At that time their energy use was 42% renewable. In 2022 it was up to 47%. Obviously, they'll need to pick up the pace to hit the target, but with the amount of solar being installed in China, I have no trouble believing they'll meet their goal.

LONGi Hydrogen

LONGi has moved into producing equipment for hydrogen production, but only on a small scale at the moment. Their approach is to make electrolysers that have low efficiency but are cheap to make. This makes a lot of sense for a solar company working to ensure the world has plenty of low cost electricity during the day.

Financial Security

A long warranty isn't useful if the company it came from is no longer around to back it up. I expect a large company like LONGi will still be around well into the future, but it's not possible to be certain it won't disappear and render its warranties worthless.

The good news is there is plenty of evidence LONGi is currently financially secure -- or at least secure for a solar panel manufacturer. As of July 2023 they had been in PV-Tech's PV ModuleTech bankability report's highest category for three and a half years. This means they're one of the solar companies considered least likely to suffer bankruptcy or financial problems.

Unfortunately, it's always possible for a company's financial position to rapidly deteriorate. Many manufacturers are likely to face problems over the next couple of years thanks to falling panel prices. But I have a feeling LONGi will be around long-term. I don't have any specific evidence to back this up, it's just a feeling I have in my gut. Specifically, my longi-intestine.

A Recommendation

Because we consider them reliable and well-supported in Australia, SolarQuotes is happy to recommend using LONGi Solar panels. If you put them on your roof -- or your mum's roof -- you are very unlikely to need to make a warranty claim, especially if you use ones with a 25 year product warranty.

Reviewers report paying:
$2,800 - $14,000

For a

LONGi Solar System

Depending on hardware choice and installation difficulty

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LONGi Solar Reviews (1503)

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  • 5 star 1375
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Most installers will flog you Trina or Jinko as budget/value option. However after reading multiple reviews I went with Longi. They havent been in Australia for as long, but their efficiency and quality is on par with much more expensive brands. Plus I wanted to go 415w panels as I don't have a large roof. Highly recommend

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Having had no issues from the previous panels, and with good reviews of the Longi panels, I am confident that they will perform well.
LATER: After 1 year in service, the panels are performing well and generating up to their maximum.

Inverter Brand

Growatt

System Cost

$2,000 to $4,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Although I had wanted to use LG panels, they were not easily available through Ahlec Solar although I have been reassured these Longi 370 watt models should more than satisfy our needs for many years to come.

Update as at 15th October 2021.

Panels are producing plenty of power and combined output for September was an impressive 1.266 MWh with June and July only just dipping under 1 MWh.

Inverter Brand

SolarEdge

System Cost

$8,000 to $10,000

System Size

9kW

Installed By

My power bill has dropped by nearly half, with the 18 Longi panels.

I'm very happy with the panel configuration ; 9 east facing, 9 west facing

Inverter Brand

SMA

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

As far as we can tell these mid-tier panels Longi 370W LR4-60HPH are performing according to manufacturer specifications and appear fit-for-purpose.
Without the benefit of professional grade test equipment, our experience with similar panels indicated minimal (less than 2%) performance degradation after 10 years so we decided to select these nominal 350W panels.
Dimensioned at 6.66kW peak, the panel array is in excess of the grid feed-in 5kW limit and we are expecting any panel degradation to be insignificant over the next 15 years or more.

Inverter Brand

SolarEdge

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

10.36KW of Longi Hi-MO4m panels with PERC Monocrystalline Half Cells. 12 year Product Warranty and 25 year Linear Power Output Warranty from Uni Industries Pty Ltd.

Even the installers said they were an excellent panel. I've heard they are the top of the range for Chinese solar panels.

Panels are on three strings to the 8KW SG8K-D Sungrow inverter. No problems so far.

While there may be better panels out there, considering the price of my system I considered it would be cheaper to replace these (if required) than buy a system for double the price. PLUS if I did have to do this, I end up with a more modern system.

I encourage you to do the math.

** 12 month update ** We've had no electricity bill since installing this product. Excellent service and follow up support when we had a hiccup after six months and the app wouldn't work. Uni Industries followed up with Sungrow on our behalf and undertook some electrical work for $120.

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

Longi Solar is performing much better than what I was expecting. Almost all the Tier 1 panels manufacturer give 80% efficiency after 25 years but Longi Solar give 87.7% after 25 years. I bought it purely on their reputation globally, they are also the largest Mono Crystalline panels manufacturer in the world. Their panels looks great with black frame. I am very happy with my decision.

System Cost

$6,000 to $10,000

System Size

6kW

Installed By

Only wished that I had installed them earlier, even on the cheap rate they give i can still save around $100 a month so the entire cost will pay for itself in around 6 years I'm happy.

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

5kW

Installed By

Great output from the panels! All black Longi very happy with them!

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

$15,000 to $20,000

System Size

15kW

Installed By

The Resinc team is high quality, from sale team all the way through to installation and beyond. Everything went smoothly the product is highly quality and make a significant difference in our power bills. Would highly recommend.

Inverter Brand

Goodwe

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

So far the system is operating within its desired or rated parameters. Happy with the Over all performance of the system however a bit disappointed with few rooftiles broken during the installation.

Inverter Brand

Growatt

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

9kW

Installed By

An incentive was offered by Expert Electrical for this review. Learn more here.

I like the low profile mounting racks and colour - assists as a Pidgeon deterrence and the Asthetics. Subsequent monitoring tells me they are doing the job living up to the statics provided.

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

5kW

Installed By

These panels are working well producing nearly maximum output from the inverter on a sunny winters day. It's only been a few days so it's too soon to comment on reliability.

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Longi solar panels are performing very well.

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Appear to be working as expected and to performance specs at present,(july 2021) have exceeded expectations over the summer months and now April 2022 the panels are coming back to what we expect

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Once again only on a 2 week sample but so far they are working great. My panels are facing north and even at 8pm at night it produce 3kw. I will rate again in a later time.

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

13kW

Installed By

Its early winter in Melbourne & generating 25-30 kwh a day which is pretty good in my view. Still working perfectly. Its early summer in Melbourne & my electricity bills are in negative roughly -40$/month. Make sure to find best tariff rates available from electricity retailers to make most of solar system.

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

$0 to $2,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Longer and larger than the 8yo ones they replaced, which reduced the number of possible panels on the northern facing roofs.
Had to compromise with having more west facing ones

Update Dec 2021: The west facing panels really shines in summer as we get solar power till nearly 7pm, with better FIT after 3pm

Inverter Brand

Huawei

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

5kW

Installed By

4.5kW of panels: The Longhi Solar panels are 450W size, so I needed 10 panels to meet my needs. They appear to be well matched to the Enphase inverters and begin working as soon as the sun hits them in the morning. They look very clean on my roof.

Inverter Brand

Enphase

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

4kW

Installed By

We are substantially outperforming the promised performance of the panels by at least 25%, and we are not even in summer yet where some of our panels at a lower pitch will begin to receive full sun.
Our first electricity bill was 50% the cost of the same time last year. With consumption monitoring we have a clear picture of when we are using more power than we should.
One side effect of the panels so far is that out house stays cooler as a result, so we have only required the air conditioner on for a couple of hours so far. If this continues through summer, there will be substantial cost savings over and above projections.
Conservative estimate of payback period for the system is 4.5 years, but I suspect it will have paid for itself in about 3 years.

Inverter Brand

SolarEdge

System Cost

$8,000 to $10,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

So far so good. Panels look good on the roof (not that I really care about this), and still generate enough power to make my home self sufficient when it is overcast and stormy.

We had a hail storm a few days ago, and the panels were not damaged.

Inverter Brand

SolarEdge

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Kiama Platinum solar installations are second to none for the install and the after sales service supplying a 30 pages manual document showing the panel sizes names about of panels and much more very happy

Inverter Brand

SMA

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

We are very happy with the Longi panels. Everything is working well.

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

30kW

Installed By

Still within their first month of operation, they appear to be working perfectly.

After nine months, all appears to be good. Fell short of its 6.6kW maximum today, due no doubt to significant cloud cover sun getting lower as winter solstice approaches.

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

The panels are all good up to now, however the roof has six sections, the panels are on four sections, so they face east and north, we are getting close to the 6.6 kWs as per specs. But l wondered if we (anybody) can put additional panels to therefore utilise the western facing section. We discussed this with Adam from Solenergy and it came down to technical, financial, and probably political issues. Any thoughts ...

Inverter Brand

Goodwe

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

They look clean and modern. Performance will rarely be at full capacity due to north south aspect of our home, with panels being distributed across east and west roof space.

Inverter Brand

SMA

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

8kW

Installed By

They look very good on our roof. Small compact/clean look.
I'd take more photos but it's currently having every weather, worst floods on record here at the moment.
10% deposit paid before installation.

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

I have had no issues with the Longi Solar panels in the 6 months since installation. My solar returns have exceeded my expectations.

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

$8,000 to $10,000

System Size

13kW

Installed By

THE BLACK FRAMES ON EACH OF THESE PANELS ARE MORE PLEASING TO THE EYE (THAN BARE METAL).
AS PANELS GO, THEY ARE QUITE GOOD LOOKING WHEN ON THE ROOF.

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

5kW

Installed By

Performing Good.
The max i have received yet is 4.5kw during a sunny day. Hopefully someday i will receive 5kw.
On an average it always delivers 20kw each day. Some days 30KW.

Inverter Brand

Growatt

System Cost

$2,000 to $4,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Panels are excellent. I put the same mix of inverter and panels on another property and they are working slightly better due to a better north facing alignment. Can’t fault the panels.

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

8kW

Installed By

Longi Solar Hi-Mo 4 375 W 20.6 %

Inverter Brand

Solaredge

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Solaire Connect were easily able to confirm that the panels were EC 61701 certified to level 6. That has given us peace of mind that we have the correct panels from a salt corrosion view point as we live next to the ocean.

Inverter Brand

Solaredge

System Cost

$8,000 to $10,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

Had the panels cleaned about a month ago. Output jumped about 10%. Regularly getting 30+ kWh a day. Mid day max regularly around 4860 watts.
All electricity bills now are credits around $30+.
Very satisfied.

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Like the look, I think the tech is there for the price point. Its a solar panel thats tier1 and AU approved. If they were no good they wouldn't sell, end of story.

Inverter Brand

Goodwe

System Cost

$2,000 to $4,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Very happy so far with the quality of the panels used - they are generating quite a lot of electric - more than I had anticipated for an 8.5kw system

Inverter Brand

SMA

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

8kW

Installed By

They look neat, tidy and organised. Even though they are not yet reputable in Australia like QCells and REC cells, LG cells they are made by a very reputable Chinese manufacturer with same qualities and design as the ones from the other solar panels. I would recommend them :)

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

7kW

Installed By

350w Longi HiMo Panels
The installers told us - they liked these panels as they were easy to install.

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Already had a hail and snow storm a few days after install. All though unexpected and not a weather event that is usual for the area the panels are still in as new condition

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Too soon to say on reliability but as soon as the sun rises above the roof line they are pumping electricity. 33.89 KWh has been the best day so far. Not bad for winter.

Inverter Brand

Solaredge

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Just got them over 3 months solar production is optimum.
already got credit refunded from AGL.
HAPPY WITH THE LONGI PANELS.

System Cost

$3,000 to $6,000

System Size

6kW

Installed By

I am pleasantly surprised at how much they produce (we have a meter that reads the smartmeter and can tell us what is being produced in real time) even on partly overcast days

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Cost

$3,000 to $6,000

System Size

6kW

Installed By

I have 22 300W Longi solar panels. They have worked perfectly and I am happy with the output from them.

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Cost

$6,000 to $10,000

System Size

6kW

Installed By

We opted for optimisers as we have shade over our house for 30% of the day, and these solar panels are the best. We have produced solar power every day since we made the switch in May.

System Cost

$3,000 to $6,000

System Size

2kW

Installed By

In the last eight months since our Solar PV system was installed it has generated 6.83 Mega Watt Hours of electricity. We have not had to pay an electricity bill in eight months

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Cost

$6,000 to $10,000

System Size

5kW

Installed By

These are great solar panels coupled with Fronius Primo inverter. Consistent performance for a month now with varied weather. Best output of 35.4kw and worst on a rainy day of 10KW with a East/West orientation.

System Cost

$3,000 to $6,000

System Size

5kW

Installed By

It is early days (not even a month in) but they are generating lots of juice (22x 300W panels, producing 28kWh on a sunny July Brisbane day).
They look the part, so far so good..

System Cost

$6,000 to $10,000

System Size

More than 6kW

Installed By

Inverter Brand

GE

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Inverter Brand

GE

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Inverter Brand

Huawei

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

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