Globally renowned solar technology leader and total energy solutions provider, Q CELLS, is entering the New Zealand energy market for the first time in response to what it says is local demand for its high-quality, affordable products.
The move comes as New Zealand establishes itself as one of the most exciting emerging renewable power markets in the world, reflecting the country’s strong commitment to a more sustainable future, says the company.
According to state-owned energy supplier Transpower, over the next five years to 2025 New Zealand’s solar market is expected to more than double, making up 0.5 percent of the country’s total power output. With New Zealand’s commitment to being carbon-neutral by 2050, household solar power is expected to play a key role in helping the country achieve its ambitious target.
Established in Germany in 1999, Q CELLS is amongst the oldest and most well-known solar manufacturers in the world. The company is internationally recognised as a key player in solar panel innovation that focuses on high-quality, and is expanding its business area into integrated energy solutions.
The first New Zealand solar installer to join Q CELLS’ Q.PARTNER program - a preferred network of vetted and trained Q CELLS suppliers, and to be officially recognised as a supplier of Q CELLS solutions – is Think Solar, comprising Wanaka Solar, Queenstown Solar and Dunedin Solar.
Director of Think Solar, Dean Dunning, actively pursued Q CELLS following poor experiences with inferior ‘Tier one’ solar panels.
“When starting our first branch four years ago, we were looking to focus on addressing quality issues in the Kiwi solar market,” he said. “While many New Zealanders have been early adopters of solar technology, the industry has experienced challenges around perceptions of quality. With growing awareness around the impacts of climate change, solar technology is key to a more sustainable future, but in New Zealand solar was getting a bad reputation due to quality issues from cheap systems claiming to be ‘premium status’, installed by untrained people. We have seen Q CELLS being used in Australia. We’ve been impressed with the quality and the company and were also looking for a higher quality panel with long warranties – Q CELLS was a natural fit.”
Q CELLS is a leading supplier for residential and commercial solar in Germany, the USA, South Korea and Japan, where it is said to be trusted for the quality of its manufacturing and is renowned for its research and development expertise.
Head of Q CELLS Australia, Peter Bae, said that the partnership with Think Solar reflected Q CELLS commitment to partnering with installers who share the brand’s core values.
“Following our first installation in October 2020, over the next months we expect to launch a number of our higher-end solutions to cater to New Zealanders who are looking for long-term performance, extended warranties and aesthetically appealing options that are designed to blend better with their surroundings and are actively seeking new partnership opportunities that will help service other areas of New Zealand, particularly Auckland.”
The Q.PEAK DUO ML-G9+, which is the first ‘zero gap’ solar panel, will be available for distribution in New Zealand from the end of February 2021.
