With the end of the government's $8000 rebate many electricians and entrepreneurs have joined the solar industry to make a quick buck.

We have at least 2 security companies who thought that solar sounded like a good idea, and started almost overnight installing solar power systems. There are bankers turned "green experts" who have also cashed in. There are many internet based companies who sell their systems all over Australia without even seeing the clients home first and using random contractors the've never even met!

Many electricians are installing solar with little or no experience in design or install experience. Many companies have unqualified installers doing the work with the qualified installer/designer signing off on the job without ever even seeing it.

Many companies pitch themselves as "Bulk" buying groups. Whilst they can supply their products at a cheap and attractive price, there is a cost. Usually you will get a Chinese solar panel, re-badged as the companies own or even from a German owned company, but made in China. These companies use dozens of in-experienced solar installers accross the state to get their cheap systems installed. They pay these contractors peanuts because they have such low margins, and they expect miracles! Of course the customer expects a quality job, but they get a rushed, sloppy job from contracted installers trying to complete two 6 panel (1kW) jobs a day to pay their bills. These solar companies will never tell you all this, it is not in their best interest.

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Beware of the quick sell and fancy slideshows at public bulk buying groups that hide the real truth of the company and it's products.

Often these companies are not exposed for how they operate at the public forum because there is no one in the audience to ask the specific technical or solar informed questions, and generally the speaker is gifted in leading a very sincere group of people down the garden path.

The probem also is that many of these new businesses offer cheap and nasty solar systems for very little money. How? They use inferior Chinese and Taiwanese solar panels, made by companies who were formed yesterday. It's all about cheap, cheap, cheap! They even re-brand them to hide where they are made. The unsuspecting consumer has good intentions to do their bit for the environment and reduce their impact, but really they just get taken for a ride with a system that will not perform as promised, and with little company support should their be issues down the track.

One bulk buying group, that we will not name, even had to recall hundreds of it's already installed solar panels because they were blistering in the sun after only being in for one week! Ahh the quality. I'm sure those poor customers regret having being lured into such a scam and that there faith in that inferior company would be around zero. We were informed by the companies installers themselves who laughed at how rediculous the situation was. When confronted the banker owner tryed to deny such an occurence. Another ruthless Large electricity retailing company, not to be named, instructed their installers to put the solar panels even on the south facing roof (which means they won't work) rather than not doing the installation job on the allocated day. Their head installer quit after such dishonest and appauling behaviour.

Sun Empire is contacted daily by many cheap Chinese and Taiwanese solar panel manufacturers trying to get us to buy their products. Their are dozens and dozens of them. It never seems to end.

This year new, more stringent solar panel regulations are coming into place. So until that time, unscrupulous companies are flooding the solar market with modules that have not passed or would not pass these new more stringent regulations. Very sneaky indeed. The downside is that the consumer suffers. They purchase their photovoltaic system in good faith, yet will the solar power company and the solar power manufacturer be in business in another 2 years, if problems occur?

As a rule of thumb you do get what you pay for. If you want a quick fix and to feel good then buy a $0 or $1800 solar system. You will pay the price eventually, when the system fails, with a manufacturer who's gone out of business, or the system blows off the roof!

We believe this kind of ad-hoc approach of many dodgy companies tarnishes our industries good name and the hard work of many of the industries serious solar power designers, installers and electricians.

Unlike many of our competitors Sun Empire will not advertise Solar Systems with hidden costs and misleading or even false claims.

If you want a PV system that will stand the test of time, with absolute attention to detail in design and installation, and full product support from our German solar panel manufacturer Schott, then call Sun Empire Solar Systems. Schott has been in the solar business for over 50 years and are a world leader. The glass manufacturer for Schott's panels has been in business over 70 years. They have had their solar components on at least 300 satellitles in space. They will be there in the future should you need their product support.

All our inverters are either German or Austrian made too, so you can sleep at night (and so can we) feeling assured of the highest quality components that are installed at your premises.