In the solar lighting market, prices vary widely. The main reasons for these differences are the different shell materials, ABS plastic, iron, and aluminum have large price differences, and also the quality of the batteries and solar panels used.
The cost of batteries and solar panels together accounts for 30% or even more of the total cost. The price of solar lanterns using inferior solar panels and batteries may be only half of that of high-quality solar lanterns using high-quality panels and batteries.
Battery quality
In solar lights, 3.2V batteries are the most popular. Most of these 3.2V batteries are reused batteries that have been through many cycles. They are made through a series of processes, including testing, grading, disassembly, cleaning, repair, capacity classification, testing, balancing, and packaging of battery cells from scrapped vehicles.
Currently, the price of 3.2V batteries in the Chinese supply chain ranges from 0.6 yuan to 1.5 yuan per ampere-hour. The core factor in the price of batteries lies in the quality of the disassembled battery cells. By testing the battery’s internal resistance, we can determine how many cycles it has experienced. The more cycles the battery has, the greater the internal resistance.
In addition, the condition of the scrapped car is also important. The battery of the car without water ingress is more valuable and the battery cell quality is better.
The quality of the battery we currently use is close to brand new, and the cost per ampere hour is 1.2 yuan. Compared with the factory selling ABS plastic solar lights, their battery cost is much lower. This is not because of higher sales, but because the market currently prefers cheaper and lower-quality batteries.
Although our price is higher, we guarantee that the battery cell voltage difference is within 0.001V, there is almost no cycle, close to the quality of brand new batteries, and high stability. Our suppliers are reliable, guarantee on-time delivery, and give priority to arranging high-quality batches for us.
We are going to increase investment in battery production to further reduce costs and improve quality control.
Solar panel quality
The price of solar panels also varies greatly, ranging from 0.6 yuan to 3 yuan per watt. The price of the solar panel we use is 1.2 yuan/watt, and the solar panels below 30 watts are expensive due to the difficulty of production and high defect rate. The thickness of the frame will also affect the price, ranging from 0.2mm to 1.0mm or even more, and the price of a single frame varies by several yuan.
In terms of raw materials, the quality of silicon wafers is crucial. We use grade A materials from large factories with a conversion efficiency of more than 22.5%. Materials with high conversion efficiency can convert light energy into electrical energy more efficiently. In addition, our solar panels use special textured glass with a thickness of about 3mm±0.2mm. There are also 2.0mm ordinary glass on the market that has not been tempered.
Not long ago, we sold some samples to customers at a Vietnam exhibition. The customer took the photovoltaic panels of our split solar lights and felt that our photovoltaic panels were heavier than the photovoltaic panels of his supplier with the same power. This example also shows that we use enough materials.
Compared with ordinary glass, textured glass can reduce light reflection, increase scattering, and make light shine more evenly on the surface of the battery, thereby improving conversion efficiency. Textured glass solar panels are stronger, more impact-resistant, and not easy to break. Due to the reduced adhesion of dust and dirt, they have stronger self-cleaning ability.
In summary, the price difference of solar lights mainly comes from the quality difference of batteries and solar panels. We insist on using high-quality batteries and solar panels to ensure our products’ stability and high performance and provide customers with high-quality solar lighting solutions.
