Canadian Solar

I had installed in Nov 2025 in Houston area. I have two inverter stacks. I opted to install on outside of garage (West side), and it gets a few hours of direct sun after 4pm (note, install instructions say not to allow direct sunlight, but I had no other choice. If I installed inside a non air conditioned garage baking in the Houston sun it would likely have overheated the unit.) End user support is awesome! They always answer the phone and are always very helpful with anything (advice, troubleshooting, etc.) Nothing but positive experience with support. I noticed June / at beginning of summer 2026, i started importing small amounts from the grid around 5pm when there was plenty of battery. It turns out, if the inverter box temperature is over 62C, the inverter output is derated (by as much as 70% decrease, depending on duration above 62C). I noticed the 4 little fans on the backside of the inverters were no longer operating (on both inverters).....i spot checked the system every now and then and fans are NEVER on anymore (i suspect defective). I saw inverter box temperatures get as high as 85C with no fans operating. By Sept, inverter #2 went out. Canadian Solar shipped a replacement immediately, which I installed myself. The new inverter #2 has fans running now (hey, it is brand NEW), while the existing 10 month old inverter #1 has defective fans. I suspect inverter #1 will go out....maybe it will last until next summer? Anyway, i hope Canadian Solar is making improvementa to the fan reliability (time will tell). I also painted my inverter/battery stack white (as Will Prouse did) in hopes of keeping the box temperatures a bit lower. I am very happy with the product and especially the end user support, with TOU settings my monthly electric bill averages $5 to 10. I hope the fan reliability can be improved, especially by the time I get to near the end of the 10 year warranty period. I would suggest Canadian Solar also design a box color and/or coating to reflect heat from the sun as to promote a cooler box.

lpasnik · Oct 23, 2026

I have 16 of these panels working and producing flawlessly for just over a year. Production has been at or often above rated output. Bifacial gain is typically between 5 and 10 percent which often places these panels producing between 740 and 780 watts each. I have pictures of my inverter when the panels were exceeding rated capacity by just over 10%. The only difficulty is the size which is roughly as large as a 4 X 8 sheet of plywood and the weight at 83 pounds each. I recommend getting help to move them around. I was a glutton for punishment and did it myself with sore arms to show for the work. The warranty is for 12 years with a 30 year production guarantee. I have not needed the warranty. These panels were made in a range from 675 to 705 watts in 5 watt increments based on STC results. They are often used in large commercial applications including solar farms. Connectors are high quality standard MC4 locking type. An unlock tool is required to release them once connected. Pay careful attention to panel rated voltage and current when setting up an array with these panels. Their output is significantly higher which requires caution when connecting to an inverter. The wide aluminum rims are easily grounded by chaining them together. I highly recommend these panels based on performance powering my off-grid tiny house.

darjones · Sep 29, 2026