After more than ten years of operations in South Africa, Trinasolar has established itself as the market leader in solar panel technology. Sparks Electrical News met up with Zaheer Khan, South Africa regional director of Trinasolar, for an exclusive interview at the recent Solar & Storage Live Africa exhibition at Nasrec, Johannesburg. Khan shared insights about the company's journey, market positioning, and the future of solar energy in the region.
By Ilana Koegelenberg
Standing tall among competitors
In an industry flooded with newcomers, Trinasolar's 28-year global presence gives it a significant edge, according to Khan. With solar panels typically carrying a 25-year warranty, Trinasolar's longevity in the market provides customers with confidence that the company will exist to honour these long-term commitments – something newer entrants cannot match.
“Trinasolar has been in business longer than our warranty, so that says something,” explained Khan.
The company's local commitment is demonstrated through offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town, alongside warehouse facilities in Durban that maintain 10-20 megawatts of stock for quick nationwide delivery.
Rather than relying solely on self-promotion, Khan pointed to independent verification of their products' superiority. PV Evolution Labs, one of the most credible organisations globally, has conducted an independent reliability analysis of solar panels, testing multiple parameters, including thermal cycling, damp heat resistance and light induced degradation, amongst other factors. Their findings show Trinasolar has been a top performer for the past decade.
This quality assurance is further bolstered by TUV certification, with Trinasolar recently receiving the highest possible double A rating on supply chain traceability, a hot topic in the ESG space.
A decade of market transformation
The South African solar market has undergone dramatic changes over the past decade. "Our customers have become much savvier, better educated and better informed about the products and features they want, as well as who the reputable sellers are," noted Khan.
Price reductions have been substantial, with panel costs halving in just the last two years. This drop has made yet more projects economically viable as solar-generated power has long since passed the threshold of being cheaper than Eskom-supplied electricity.
Government policy improvements have enabled large-scale private company involvement, leading to exponential growth in the private market. "Initially, we used to rely on government programmes, but nowadays, we see a lot of even utility-scale projects coming from the private market," Khan explained.
Market-responsive product range
For the residential market, Trinasolar offers a diverse product range. While their 9 series panels (450 W) with black frames and lightweight design should theoretically be the most popular, South African consumers have shown a preference for higher wattage options in their 500–600 W range.
In the commercial sector, Trinasolar's 615/630 W panels from the 19 range have become the dominant choice. These panels feature innovative rectangular cells that Trinasolar pioneered in the industry. The design reduces current output from 17 amps to 15 amps, creating an ideal match with the latest range of commercial inverters. Since these inverters have 30-amp inputs, installers can connect two panels in parallel for perfect compatibility – a practical engineering solution that has resonated with South African commercial clients.
Trinasolar has also modified some of its products to suit local conditions. At the recent Solar & Storage Live Africa exhibition, they launched a more hail-resistant panel certified for hailstones up to 55 mm in diameter – more than double the 25 mm industry standard. Their panels also feature anti-dust properties and aluminium frames to prevent corrosion, making them well-suited to South African conditions.
Technological advancements
While all solar panels may appear similar to the average consumer, the technology has advanced considerably. Trinasolar holds over 2,000 patents and has recently developed a groundbreaking 800W+ panel using perovskite silicon tandem cells.
The efficiency of solar panels continues to improve, with current market standards at 23-24%, while new tandem cell technology promises efficiencies above 30%.
Application innovation is also expanding, with floating solar becoming more popular, particularly in freshwater environments. Trinasolar has recently launched panels certified for marine environments, further broadening potential use cases.
South African challenges
Despite massive growth and opportunity, Khan also identified several challenges unique to the South African market. Unlike European markets that incentivise solar adoption through subsidies and feed-in tariffs, South Africa seems to disincentivise it. "People are getting penalised for installing solar locally with Eskom’s proposed connection charges and time-of-use tariffs for solar users," he explained.
Another challenge in the local market is the need for certification for installers to ensure a uniform installation standard. Khan highlights that some installers use panels with incorrect electrical ratings for their chosen inverters. "Inverters are only rated to handle a certain amperage and to operate up to a certain voltage. So, you need to ensure your setup doesn't exceed these ratings. That's a key factor for smaller installers," he warned.
A changing value proposition
In South Africa, initial barriers to entry included customer education about photovoltaic technology versus solar water heating and developing grid connection standards, which, while more mature now, continue to evolve. This is less of a problem these days as customers and installers become more familiar with the technology.
The evolution of solar's value proposition has been particularly noteworthy. From being initially driven as a solution to loadshedding, the industry has shifted toward emphasising financial benefits and environmental sustainability.
As Khan noted, "With loadshedding over the past few years, the big selling point, especially in the residential segment, was to have something that helps protect you against loadshedding. But now, for the last year, 90% of the time, we haven't had loadshedding. The value proposition had to change."
This shift has coincided with Eskom's tariff increases, making the economic case for solar increasingly compelling, even without the immediate pressure of power outages. The environmental benefits of moving away from coal-based power generation have also become a more prominent part of the conversation.
Beyond solar panels
While primarily known for solar panels, Trinasolar has diversified its product portfolio considerably. "Solar panels are our core business, but it's a lesser-known fact that we're also a major manufacturer of solar trackers. Globally, we're also one of the top five battery system integrators," Khan revealed.
Unlike many competitors, Trinasolar manufactures its own battery cells, with approximately 18 gigawatt-hours of manufacturing capacity. This vertical integration gives them greater control over quality and supply chain resilience.
Future outlook
Looking ahead, Trinasolar plans to expand into neighbouring sub-Saharan African countries that have yet to reach South Africa's level of solar penetration. With its current position as market leader in South Africa, the company is well-positioned for regional growth.
The strategy focuses on both geographic expansion and product diversification, with particular emphasis on new applications.
As Trinasolar celebrates its decade in South Africa, it stands as both a witness to and driver of the country's energy transition. From educating consumers about the basics of photovoltaic technology to now delivering highly specialised products for specific applications, the company's evolution mirrors that of the broader market – increasingly sophisticated, economically viable, and poised for continued growth despite regulatory challenges.
As Khan said, “The evolution continues.”
