Trina review

Trina - Solar Panel Reviews

4.8

Based on 2269 ratings

Finn's Trina Panels Review & Verdict

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

Trina Solar are a stalwart of the Australian solar scene. The giant Chinese manufacturer's Australian entity has consistently supplied and supported installers since the early days. They have a track record of doing the right thing if Australians need warranty support on their solar panels - which is reassuring.

Their panels are not too expensive and are well made in high-tech factories. The Trina solar panels' temperature performance and warranted degradation aren't quite up there with the premium panels - but you can't have everything: Trina's panels are about 30% cheaper than the top-end brands. They are consistently voted as Australia's best value solar panels in our annual installer survey and I happily recommend them.

Trina Panels: Pros & Cons

  • Trina are long-established in the Australian market.
  • They are known for going over and above the very basic warranty terms, which means the will meet Australian consumer law.
  • Trina have advised that orphaned customers can lodge panel warranty claims through their online portal available here..
  • DE09R.08 and DE09R.B5 Vertex S models are available as 144 cell-10.5amp ratings, making them easier to configure on complex roofs where other high current panels simply wont work in short or paralleled strings.
  • Trina are also one of the few to offer dual glass panels, which are fundamentally more durable.
  • The warranty offered is a bit ordinary when you look at the documents.
  • Some of the shonks in solar will offer Trina in the hope that a good panel reputation will rub off on a dubious quality install

About Trina

Trina Solar is one of the largest manufacturers of solar panels in the world. As at early 2023, cumulative shipments of Trina Solar panels had exceeded 120GW.

Trina Solar is a Chinese company, with 23 offices worldwide - including one in Sydney. It employs 20,000 staff globally, most of whom are in China. The firm is based in Changzhou, which, as every schoolchild knows, is just a one hour train ride from Shanghai. Well, maybe not every schoolchild knows that, but I'm sure all the schoolchildren in China who know it would add up to a hell of a lot.

In addition to Chinese manufacturing capacity, Trina has a factory in Thailand and another in Vietnam.

Trina Solar Is A Tier 1 Manufacturer

The company has scored 100% in the Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) Bankability Survey for seven consecutive years. So, financially it seems a a pretty solid firm. But what about the quality of its products?

Trina is a well respected name in solar panel manufacturing. It produces quality solar panels and offers a 15 - 25 year product warranty depending on the module. 25 year product warranties were once the exclusive realm of of high-end (most expensive) panel manufacturers, so to see a "budget" (but good quality) player join that club was really impressive and a sign of things to come.

Trina Striving For Sustainable Solar Panel Manufacturing

Solar manufacturing is a resource-intensive business. Trina says it was able to reduce both its electricity and water consumption by over 60 percent from 2015 to 2020. But the efforts didn't stop there. 

Power consumption per unit of product output decreased 42.4% in 2021 compared to 2020. As for water and also compared with 2020, consumption per unit decreased 46.2% in 2021. Compared with 2020, greenhouse gas emissions per unit produced decreased 32.2% in 2021. These results aren't just good for the planet, but also the company's bottom line.

Trina is member of PV Cycle, ensuring products are recycled at the end of their life in countries where PV Cycle operates - which doesn't appear to include Australia at this point. 

Trina Solar Vertex S And S+ Panels

Trina's recent Vertex family of modules was originally geared towards utility-scale applications. But in late 2020, the company unveiled the Vertex-S designed for rooftop solar installations that offered up to 405W capacity. Then in March 2022, the firm announced Australia would be first in line for the even more powerful 425W Trina Solar Vertex S+ panel; which is also suitable for residential and commercial rooftops. That has since been topped by a 440W panel.

In addition to the boost in power, the new Vertex S+  panels are accompanied by an even better product warranty - 25 years; although Trina also boosted warranty on some of its Vertex S panels to 25 years in August 2022. The Vertex S+ also offers a 30 year performance warranty, with first-year degradation at 1% and annual degradation thereafter at 0.4%.

Something else differentiating the two product lines is the Vertex S has a conventional backsheet and P-type cells, while the Vertex S+ boasts dual glass and N-type cells.

To see further specifications on various Trina modules, check out SQ's solar panel comparison table

Salt Mist Corrosion Resistance

All Trina Solar panels state on their datasheets they are corrosion resistant.  Certifications for corrosion resistance can be found on Trina’s download page.

Trina Has An Energy Storage System

Trina has produced a home battery storage system called TrinaBESS Powercube, which is available in Australia.

Warranty Procedure For Orphaned Trina Customers

If you have purchased Trina solar panels from an installer who has since gone out of business, the responsibility for warranty claims shifts to Trina. Their customer service line in Australia is 1300 874 627, and Trina have advised that orphaned customers can lodge panel warranty claims through their online portal available here. The company will arrange for an installer in their network to replace the panels under warranty, with labor costs being covered by their warranty.

Trina Solar Panels Are A Good Choice

I have no problems recommending Trina solar panels as they offer a cost effective combination of price and reliability. While there are panels out there I consider likely to be more reliable, you will have to pay a premium for them. On the plus side, when there have been issues in the past, Trina Solar has so far proven to be quick in rectifying them under warranty.

Trina is a popular brand with Australian installers, taking out first place in SQ’s Installers Choice Awards for the best solar panels in 2023 (budget category); a ranking the company also achieved in 2022 and 2021. In the 2023 awards, Trina ranked third for the best after-sales support.

The company's products are also popular with solar owners - see what some of them think in the reviews and ratings below (and if you're an owner, add your Trina solar panels review).

Reviewers report paying:
$3,300 - $12,800

For a

Trina System

Depending on hardware choice and installation difficulty

Trina has 14 solar panels in our database

Filter by:

Type of solar panel 
Wattage 
Panel Efficiency 
Approx. Cost/Watt 
Model number
Series
Wattage
Panel efficiency (%)
Approx Cost per Watt AUD Retail incl GST
Approx cost per panel AUD Retail incl GST
Panel technology
Country of manufacture
TSM-415DE09R.08
Solar Vertex S
415 W
20.8%
$0.36
$150
Monocrystalline
China
TSM-420DE09R.08
Solar Vertex S
420 W
21.0%
$0.36
$150
Monocrystalline
China
TSM-425DE09R.08
Solar Vertex S
425 W
21.3%
$0.36
$150
Monocrystalline
China
TSM-430DE09R.08
Solar Vertex S
430 W
21.5%
$0.36
$150
Monocrystalline
China
TSM-435DE09R.08
Solar Vertex S
435 W
21.8%
$0.36
$150
Monocrystalline
China
TSM-400NEG9.28
Solar Vertex S+ (400-415W)
400 W
20.6%
$0.40
$165
Monocrystalline
China
TSM-405NEG9.28
Solar Vertex S+ (400-415W)
405 W
20.9%
$0.40
$165
Monocrystalline
China
TSM-410NEG9.28
Solar Vertex S+ (400-415W)
410 W
21.1%
$0.40
$165
Monocrystalline
China
TSM-415NEG9.28
Solar Vertex S+ (400-415W)
415 W
21.4%
$0.40
$165
Monocrystalline
China
TSM-420NEG9R.28
Solar Vertex S+ (420-440W)
420 W
21.0%
$0.40
$175
Monocrystalline
China
TSM-425NEG9R.28
Solar Vertex S+ (420-440W)
425 W
21.3%
$0.40
$175
Monocrystalline
China
TSM-430NEG9R.28
Solar Vertex S+ (420-440W)
430 W
21.5%
$0.40
$175
Monocrystalline
China
TSM-435NEG9R.28
Solar Vertex S+ (420-440W)
435 W
21.8%
$0.40
$175
Monocrystalline
China
TSM-440NEG9R.28
Solar Vertex S+ (420-440W)
440 W
22.0%
$0.40
$175
Monocrystalline
China

 

Trina Reviews (2269)

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  • 5 star 1864
  • 4 star 371
  • 3 star 23
  • 2 star 4
  • 1 star 7

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Ok. After rwo years in operation, I can now leave a review on my Trina panels.

I got 16 Trina Vertex S 405W panels to replace my old 2009 Panasonic HIT 210W panels two years ago.

I monitor PV generation closely and these panels have performed to spec.in spite of Sydney's high rainfall.

One observation the Panasonics performed slightly better in low light conditions but the Trinas started sooner - lower starting voltage.

I will be moving to Queensland in about three months time and my new place will be fitted with 20 Trina Vertex S 425W panels. My recommendation.

System Cost

$2,000 to $4,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Very slick and good looking up there on the roof!

Still working perfectly after a year.

I had to stand on a couple of the Trina-S panels to access the roof - no damage was sustained, great.

Inverter Brand

SolarEdge

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

I have retained 16 x LG panels thaT were recently installed in march 2022. They were incorporated into the new system with 51 trina 415w panels and 16 370w LGs making up the complete system.
I added a further 16 trina panels installed by Arise Solar in July. That was the result of poor design of my overall system given my energy uise and profile on which Arkana designed the originally installed system. The main issue was inadequate battery storage in their design.
I was very happy with the upgrade work undertaken by Arise Solar to both the panel array and battery stotage

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

20kW

Installed By

The 9.6kW’s Trina panels were recommended by my original installer as a good value for money product, I’ve had no problems whatsoever.
Like the inverter they get looked after, they get a hose off every couple of months to make sure there is no dust of bird droppings etc.
I have Solar Analytics and I’m at plus .01% on what they estimate the system should be producing over it’s 18 months life so far.

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

$12,500 to $15,000

System Size

13kW

Installed By

The Trina panels were recommended with the solar edge inverter system by Wildman Solar and I can definitely see why. The products go hand in hand. Delivering energy into the home.
The black on black panel also looks seriously good. And they fit together like a glove. Wildman Solar we’re also able to navigate antenna support cables and waste vents on the roof utilising 3 faces, to meet my need for number of panels.
The photos speak for themselves.

Inverter Brand

SolarEdge

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

10kW

Installed By

The Trina Vertex S+ 415w panels look great on my roof. Very happy with the performance so far. As they are a lot bigger than my old panels, I had to split the 33 panels across 2 areas (15 on the North East and 18 on the North West facing). But looking at my data, output of the panels are very similar.

Time will tell how the perform, but I'm fairly confident I will be happy for many years to come.

Inverter Brand

Enphase

System Cost

$15,000 to $20,000

System Size

13kW

Installed By

25 × 415W Trina Solar Vertex S+ (TSM-415NEG9.28)

Very happy. New N-type efficiency, awesome 30yr performance warranty, and just nice looking pannels too .. and at 415W each they maximised the potential space on my roof, giving me 10.375kW total array.

Inverter Brand

Goodwe

System Cost

$8,000 to $10,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

Installed 13.3 kW of Trina N-Type solar panels. For us we have found that they generate over 2kW of power even on cloudy/rainy days during winter env thought he panels face east and west.

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

So far the Trina panels are above expectations even though they are not in the ideal angle or position, so all things considered at this time no regrets on my choice of panels. The manufacturers technical data I based my decision on appears to be correct.

Inverter Brand

SMA

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

I'm probably not going to be around long enough to gain the benefit of more expensive panels having longer performance guarantee times, so Trina appear to offer a good performance / price point.

Inverter Brand

Enphase

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

6kW

Installed By

I choose Trina Vertex 390W panels after doing a month of extensive research. I compared the specs with many of the popular solar panel brands on the market and found this to be the all-round winner. Now on a perfectly sunny 27 degrees day, my 10KW system with Trina panels can pump out more than 60KW a day! Amazing! Can’t wait till Summer arrives, then I can turn on the Airconditioning without feeling my purse is bleeding.

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

Trina Solar Panels are a really great option when it comes to installing solar panels. They have long term benefits, which include a less electricity bill. Overall, they are a great solar panel option and I would definitely recommend them.

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

Very good.
I am very happy with my new solar panels.
Definitely new Trina Solar panels has excellent value for money.

However I still feel my existing SunPower Maxeon-3 has slightly better efficiency.

Inverter Brand

SolarEdge

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

6kW

Installed By

Trina 450 W Tallmax panels proved a great solution. We were able to fit a larger system into our roof space and the higher per-panel output meant fewer microinverters, reducing costs.

Inverter Brand

Enphase

System Cost

$15,000 to $20,000

System Size

8kW

Installed By

I first saw Trina recommended by Choice. I then did research and listened to advice - and read detailed information on Solar Quotes site ( which is excellent). They have been used for a long time in Australia and also happened to be recommended by the two companies that I was trusting.

Inverter Brand

Enphase

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

6kW

Installed By

Trina is not the top end tier but offered 15 years product warranty, and 25 performance warranty. for me that would be good enough. We will see in the future.

Inverter Brand

SMA

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

At close to 20-40% cheaper vs the same equivalent panels from Q.Cells and LG, definitely among the best value panels in the market right now that offers decent performance. Was skeptical initially given cases of water ingress with Trina panels in the past but having inspected the panels prior to install and monitoring its performance once they are on the roof, money well spent!

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

10kW

Installed By

Hard to comment on the reliability of a system that was installed last month but we have Trina panels on the Greeny Flat which have been there for five years and are performing perfectly.

Inverter Brand

Enphase

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

5kW

Installed By

We have wood fired heating system running continuously through the winter and our old solarhart hot water panels have needed extensive cleaning at the end of each winter. Despite the general lack of rain this year the TRINA panels have remained remarkably free from soot, no extra cleaning necessary. For me that's a definite plus. Again thanks to regular monitoring I can see that the performance of the panels has remained constant in relation to each other since installation.

Inverter Brand

Enphase

System Cost

$3,000 to $6,000

System Size

3kW

Installed By

The new/additional Trina 270W panels shade the original 1.5 kW installation by up to 33% in cooler months. This is the only issue that I have with the installation but it is quite disappointing having the original array shaded by the new. I believe the new array was installed too close the the original, thus casting shadows.

Inverter Brand

Enphase

System Cost

$3,000 to $6,000

System Size

3kW

Installed By

Trina are our second lot of panels. Previous 4 years ago are Canadian with sunny boy inverter. Work well!
New panels have micro inverters so we can install batteries when price and quality improve.
We have 6.44kw total and power bill has reduced to couple of hundred dollars during warmer months.
Winter is much lower but will see later when next account comes in.

Inverter Brand

Enphase

System Cost

$3,000 to $6,000

System Size

4kW

Installed By

I had 22 Trina 250W solar panels installed in July 2012. They had performed adequately until early 2016 when 2 panels had to be replaced when a fault occurred. Again in January 2017 when three panels failed and will be replaced in the near future I hope. Are they made for tropical Australian conditions? I don't think so!!

System Cost

$10,000 to $15,000

System Size

5kW

Installed By

20 x 250 W Trina Honey DC Optimiser panels.
Average output in January 2015 35kWh per panel. Range 34 -36 kWh over 20 panels.
Average output in June 2015 15 kWh per panel. Range 13 - 16 kWh over 20 panels.

All panels are generating very close to average figure per day.

Inverter Brand

SMA

System Cost

$6,000 to $10,000

System Size

5kW

Installed By

The Trina panels are performing well, and seem to be able to generate good power output even on cloudy days.

Inverter Brand

Enphase

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

8kW

Installed By

4x440w Vertex S +/1.76kW
Existing 19x260w, 7 year old, Trina Honey panels still working fine.

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

$12,500 to $15,000

System Size

1.5kW

Installed By

The solar panel install is almost flawless. There's no visible conduit, and the panels are tightly packed to fit as many on the roof as possible.

The panels on the second roof face could have been better positioned to allow for more panels to be installed in the future - e.g. once a battery is connected to the inverter. But this decision was made without my input.

Inverter Brand

SolarEdge

System Cost

$12,500 to $15,000

System Size

13kW

Installed By

Output per day since install has not had a single day of good solid sun to allow a proper comparison against theoretical maximum but it looks very good but more analysis is needed.with time have done rough comparisons, and the output is very close to prediction.

Inverter Brand

Enphase

System Cost

$12,500 to $15,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

15 x 449W Trina Solar Vertex S+

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

An incentive was offered by Sungain Solar for this review. Learn more here.

Trina Vertex S+ TSM-440NEG9R.28

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

$2,000 to $4,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

I went for Trina solar panels after reading the reviews.

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Seem to be working well, even on cloudy days, position with somewhat compromised by the size/pitch of the roof but seem to be performing as well as can be expected.

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

$15,000 to $20,000

System Size

13kW

Installed By

Trina Vertex S+ TSM-440NEG9R.28 x 18 Panels

Inverter Brand

Goodwe

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

7kW

Installed By

I have been impressed by the Trina panels. I get decent output even on cloudy days. Tey weathered a cyclone with no problem and self clean very well.

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Cost

$15,000 to $20,000

System Size

15kW

Installed By

Was made aware that these Panels no longer require cleaning and won’t cost me to clean them, unlike my old system where the panels crystallised and became inefficient. Hence the reason to update.

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

$8,000 to $10,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

Trina 415W x 16

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

$8,000 to $10,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

The Trina panels appear to suck all the energy they can, even on quite cloudy days.

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Cost

$12,500 to $15,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

Very happy with my Trina panels, no problems at all.

Inverter Brand

Enphase

System Cost

$12,500 to $15,000

System Size

13kW

Installed By

25 x Trina Solar Vertex S+ 435W Solar Panels

Inverter Brand

SolarEdge

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

I was very surprised how early in the day the panels start generating power. Considering they are installed on western side of house with numerous trees to the east. In summer app shows they are generating power before 7:00am.

Inverter Brand

Goodwe

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

Very happy with my all black Trina solar panels.

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

8kW

Installed By

They seem fine. I have 10 panels facing north and 8 panels facing west. I got 7.9kW of panels with the 6kw inverter. In summer the inverter wakes up at about 6am; by 7am it's generating about 350W, 1.2kW by 8am and 2.8kW by 9am. It peaks around 10:30am and holds that until about 4pm when it starts to drop off. By 6pm it's at 3kW, 7pm 1.4kW and down to 75W by 8pm.

Inverter Brand

Goodwe

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

6kW

Installed By

Since the panel’s were commissioned in late February the power bills have basically remained unchanged even though the rates have doubled so very happy looking forward to seeing how they go during summer

Inverter Brand

Goodwe

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

We did do some research and found that Trina are one of the best panels and were happy that replenishable energy fit these solar panels

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

$15,000 to $20,000

System Size

20kW

Installed By

I am a bit concerned about the warranty as in the last few days I have seen some articles from people with Trina panels having warranty issues.

Inverter Brand

Sungrow

System Cost

$15,000 to $20,000

System Size

5kW

Installed By

They have been great! Producing energy even on cloudy days, and one day they even exceeded their claimed capacity! If it continues like this for years to come, these panels would be in the sweet spot for value and performance.

Inverter Brand

Goodwe

System Cost

$8,000 to $10,000

System Size

8kW

Installed By

Impressed that the 19 panel, 8.36kW system produces power even on cloudy and rainy days, albeit as low as 0.2kW or 0.3 kW. Things might be different during winter. Currently, the system powers the heat pump hot water and reverse cycle air conditioners during. As such, our home now draws little from the grid.

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

8kW

Installed By

An incentive was offered by Evo Solar for this review. Learn more here.

So far so good, they seem to do a pretty good job of producing power even on rainy and cloudy days, but I don't really have a point of comparison.

Inverter Brand

Fronius

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

9kW

Installed By

Trina Vertex panels were installed

Inverter Brand

SolarEdge

System Cost

$8,000 to $10,000

System Size

7kW

Installed By

11 months on and they are still generating the same amount of kWh I was getting when first installed. In fact the other day I generated 80kWh from 32 panels in 12 hour period.

Inverter Brand

Goodwe

System Cost

$8,000 to $10,000

System Size

13kW

Installed By

I have had absolutely no issues with the Trina 415W Vertex S panels ... all reports show continued reliable production

Inverter Brand

Enphase

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

8kW

Installed By

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