The Australian Solar Council has announced that Yingli Solar is the first solar manufacturer to successfully pass its rigorous Positive Quality inspection program.

Under this program, specialists from the Australian Solar Council’s Positive Quality Program conduct independent inspection and testing of Yingli Solar’s entire manufacturing process before their solar panels are sent to the Australian market.
 
Solar PV panels, widely used in Australian homes and businesses, vary considerably in their performance, particularly over the long term.
 
“As manufacturers compete on price there is an inevitable pressure to substitute quality components with cheaper ones” said Solar Council Chief Executive John Grimes.
 
“The outcome is that while all solar panels look the same they do not perform the same, and that difference in performance could cost a customer tens of thousands of dollars over the life of the system”.
 
It is not possible to distinguish between high quality and low quality solar panels simply by looking at them.
 
“That is why independent specialist inspection and oversight of the manufacturing process is so important”.
 
According to Grimes “Positive Quality inspections are intensive, and occur on a random basis every quarter”.
 
“By looking for the Positive Quality Trustmark, Australian consumers and businesses can have confidence in the quality of the solar panels they are installing”.
 
“We were impressed by the high level of manufacturing excellence demonstrated by Yingli Solar” said Grimes.
 
“We are delighted to be the founding member of the Australian Solar Council’s Positive Quality program and the first manufacturer to receive the Positive Quality certification” said Daman Cole, Managing Director of Yingli Green Energy Australia.
 
“This independent audit provides a level of visibility and assurance to installers and customers that they are purchasing a premium product which has been independently inspected to verify our manufacturing claims.  In short, our customers are receiving what we have promised”, said Cole.
 
“Yingli Solar is committed to staying at the forefront of solar panel quality standards,” said Cole.
 
The Australian Solar Council looks forward to announcing more successful positive quality manufacturers from those who have signed onto the program.