Most Perth solar quotes feature panels from three brands: Jinko, Trina, and increasingly Aiko. All three sit in the mid-range of the market. They are legitimate panels with genuine manufacturer backing, and for many homeowners they represent reasonable value at their price points.
But there is a tier above them — and understanding what separates mid-range panels from premium panels is important context for anyone making a 25 to 30-year investment in solar.
Positive Energy Solutions previously stocked Jinko and Trina and made a deliberate decision to move away from both. We have evaluated Aiko and chosen not to add it. We install SunPower P-Series panels exclusively. This post explains the mid-range comparison first, then explains what the step up to a premium panel actually means — and why we consider them different categories, not just different brands.
Part 1: The Mid-Range Comparison — Aiko, Jinko, and Trina
Aiko Neostar 3S
Aiko is a Chinese manufacturer using ABC (All Back Contact) technology. The Neostar 3S is its mainstream residential panel in Australia, rated at 475W with 23.8% efficiency. Aiko won the SolarQuotes Installers’ Choice Award in both 2025 and 2026 — the most respected independent installer survey in Australia. On specifications, it is the strongest panel in the mid-range category. It uses mono-glass construction with a polymer backsheet and carries a 25-year product warranty and 30-year performance warranty. Labour is not covered. Aiko entered the Australian market relatively recently, and while its local presence is growing, its long-term Australian service track record is not yet established.
Jinko Tiger Neo
Jinko is the world’s largest solar panel manufacturer by volume and has a long, established presence in Australia. The Tiger Neo uses N-type TOPCon technology, rated to approximately 22% efficiency with a -0.30%/°C temperature coefficient. Polymer backsheet construction, 25-year product and performance warranty, no labour warranty. Jinko’s Australian warranty track record is long and known — their warranty processes are established quantities, which matters for a 25-year commitment.
Trina Vertex S+
Trina is one of Australia’s most widely deployed panel brands. The Vertex S+ uses N-type TOPCon technology at approximately 21.5% efficiency, also with a -0.30%/°C temperature coefficient. Like Jinko, it uses a polymer backsheet, carries a 25-year product and performance warranty, and includes no labour warranty. Trina and Jinko are closely matched; Jinko has a marginal edge on efficiency and degradation. Both have the long Australian track record that Aiko currently lacks.
Mid-Range Specification Comparison
Specifications based on published manufacturer data for standard residential models. ✓ indicates best performer in each category within the mid-range field.
Within the mid-range field, Aiko leads on specs — with one caveat
Aiko’s ABC technology delivers the highest efficiency (23.8%), the best temperature coefficient (-0.26%/°C), and the lowest degradation rate (0.35%/yr) of the three. For a Perth roof in summer heat, those performance advantages are real. It also offers a longer performance warranty (30 years vs 25 years for Jinko and Trina).
The caveat is Australian track record. Aiko is newer to this market than Jinko or Trina. A warranty’s value depends entirely on the manufacturer’s ability and willingness to honour it in Australia in year 18. The solar industry has seen brands enter the Australian market strongly and exit before their warranties reached maturity — leaving customers with panels and no recourse. Jinko and Trina have established Australian presences and known warranty processes. Aiko has not yet demonstrated the same long-term commitment to this market.
All three share the same structural limitations: polymer backsheet construction, no labour warranty coverage, and supply through wholesale distributors.
Part 2: The Premium Tier — What SunPower Offers
SunPower P-Series is not a fourth option in the mid-range comparison. It is a different category of panel — built differently, warranted differently, and supplied differently. Understanding what separates it from the mid-range field explains why Positive Energy Solutions moved away from Jinko and Trina, chose not to add Aiko, and installs SunPower exclusively.
Glass-glass construction
The SunPower P-Series uses heat-strengthened glass-glass bifacial construction — 2mm front glass and 2mm rear glass, no polymer backsheet. All three mid-range panels use polymer backsheets on their standard residential models. For a Perth roof exposed to intense UV and daily thermal cycling over 30 years, glass encapsulation on both sides is meaningfully more durable. It also enables bifacial generation, capturing reflected light from the roof surface that polymer-backed monofacial panels cannot.
The integrated 30-year labour warranty
This is the clearest point of difference between SunPower and everything in the mid-range. SunPower’s warranty is an integrated product, performance, and labour warranty for 30 years. If a panel fails or underperforms within 30 years, SunPower covers the replacement panel and the cost of labour — removing, replacing, and recommissioning. No mid-range panel covers labour. That cost sits with the homeowner for the entire warranty period.
For a system expected to run for 25 to 30 years, the probability of at least one service event is real. The difference between a warranty that covers everything and one that covers only the part is significant — and it is the single clearest reason why SunPower sits in a different category.
Direct supply — no wholesaler
Positive Energy Solutions receives SunPower P-Series panels direct from SunPower with no wholesale intermediary. Aiko, Jinko, and Trina all flow through Australian wholesale distributors. The direct relationship creates cleaner accountability on supply, quality control, and warranty escalation. When a panel issue arises, the path from us to SunPower’s technical and warranty team is direct.
Shingled cell design
The SunPower P-Series uses a shingled cell architecture — individual cell strips overlap like roof tiles, with no front-side busbars. Busbars are a common point of long-term reliability concerns in conventional cells. The shingled design eliminates that failure point and distributes current collection more evenly across the panel surface. Aiko’s ABC technology also moves contacts off the front surface, which is one reason both designs perform well at high efficiency — but the SunPower design achieves this within a glass-glass bifacial panel rather than a mono-glass polymer-backed one.
Why Positive Energy Solutions Moved Away from Mid-Range Panels
Positive Energy Solutions installed Jinko and Trina panels across many Perth systems. The decision to move to SunPower exclusively was not driven by a product failure event — both brands performed as expected in the field. It was a deliberate choice about what we wanted to stand behind long-term.
Positive Energy Solutions offers a 10-year workmanship warranty on every installation. That means we have skin in the game for the first decade of every system we install. Installing panels that leave customers exposed to uncovered labour costs for 20+ years of manufacturer warranty claims, on polymer backsheets that face Perth’s UV and heat, through a wholesale supply chain with no direct manufacturer relationship — that combination was not the right foundation for a system we were comfortable standing behind.
Aiko is a genuinely strong mid-range panel on specifications. Positive Energy Solutions’ view is that it is not on the same level as SunPower — not because of its efficiency numbers, but because it lacks the construction quality, warranty depth, and Australian track record that define the premium tier. Adding Aiko would mean telling customers they can have a premium system with a mid-range panel — which would not be an honest position.
Get a Quote for a SunPower P-Series System in Perth
Positive Energy Solutions provides no-obligation quotes for Perth homeowners. Visit our showroom to see the SunPower P-Series panel in person and speak to the team about why it is the only panel we install. Your quote will include a specific system design for your property, applicable government rebates already deducted, and a clear breakdown of what is included.
Related guides
- Jinko vs Trina vs Aiko Solar Panels Perth 2026: What You Need to Know
- SunPower P-Series Solar Panels Perth 2026: Full Review
- SunPower P-Series vs REC Alpha Perth 2026: Which Premium Solar Panel Is Right for Your Home?
- Why Positive Energy Solutions Is a SunPower Elite Partner in Perth
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Aiko a premium solar panel?
Aiko sits at the top of the mid-range category on specifications — it outperforms Jinko and Trina on efficiency, temperature coefficient, and degradation rate. However, Positive Energy Solutions does not consider it a premium panel in the same tier as SunPower. The standard Neostar 3S uses a polymer backsheet rather than glass-glass construction, carries no labour warranty, and has a shorter Australian market track record than established brands. These are defining differences between the mid-range and premium tiers.
What makes SunPower P-Series premium?
Three things that mid-range panels do not offer: glass-glass bifacial construction for long-term durability in Perth conditions, an integrated 30-year labour warranty that covers replacement and installation costs (not just the panel), and direct supply from the manufacturer with no wholesale intermediary. Together these define a different category of panel — not just a higher price point.
Did Positive Energy Solutions previously install Jinko and Trina?
Yes. Positive Energy Solutions has first-hand installation and after-sales experience with both. The move to SunPower exclusively was deliberate — based on the combined limitations of polymer backsheet construction, no labour warranty, and wholesale supply that all mid-range panels share. We wanted to install a panel we could stand behind completely for the full life of the system.
Why does Positive Energy Solutions not install Aiko despite its strong spec sheet?
Aiko’s specifications are genuinely impressive within the mid-range. But strong specs do not move a panel into the premium tier. The Neostar 3S uses a polymer backsheet, carries no labour warranty, and is a newer Australian market entrant without the long-term warranty track record that a 30-year commitment requires. Positive Energy Solutions is not willing to install a mid-range panel and position it as equivalent to SunPower. It would not be an accurate representation of the difference.
Are Jinko and Trina worth installing?
Jinko and Trina are established mid-range panels with long Australian track records and known warranty processes. For a homeowner prioritising lower upfront cost and comfortable with the limitations of the mid-range tier — polymer backsheet, no labour warranty — they are reasonable choices from reputable manufacturers. Positive Energy Solutions does not install them because we have chosen to work exclusively in the premium tier, not because there is anything fundamentally wrong with either brand.
What panel does Positive Energy Solutions install?
SunPower P-Series — exclusively. It is the only panel brand Positive Energy Solutions offers, and every Positive Energy Solutions solar and battery system uses it. We are a SunPower Elite Partner and receive panels direct from SunPower without a wholesale intermediary.
About the Author
Jason Wiktorowicz
Sales Manager, Positive Energy Solutions | Perth, WA
Jason has been at the centre of Western Australia’s energy transition for over a decade. As Orchestration Lead on Project Symphony — WA’s largest virtual power plant pilot — and Stream Lead on Project Encore, he worked directly with AEMO, Western Power and Energy Policy WA to shape how distributed energy resources connect and operate on the SWIS. That work included developing and rolling out CSIP-AUS, now mandatory for all new WA grid connections. He also led Emergency Solar Management (ESM), the first program of its kind in WA, VPP for Schools (VPP4S), which provided direct market benefits through Supplementary Reserve Capacity, and REBAR, the WA Residential Battery Rebate scheme.
His earlier career spanned Synergy, Infinite Energy and Curtin University’s Sustainability Policy Institute, where he co-authored peer-reviewed research on net-zero urban precincts, solar integration and peer-to-peer energy trading, published in the journal Urban Planning in 2018.
At Positive Energy Solutions, Jason leads sales with a focus on system design accuracy and long-term performance. Positive Energy Solutions installs solar and battery systems, EV chargers and heat pumps, and holds partner accreditations with Fronius, SigEnergy, iStore and SunPower. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
