My family and I are moving back near Taichung. I am American-Born so searching on Shopee is a “fun” experience of copying and pasting Mandarin characters from Google Translate to find what I need.
Are there any local suppliers that allow me to buy solar panels, batteries, and equipment ala carte? (I.e not full installation?).
Looking for:
12V 200W (or more) rigid solar panels.
Charge controller
Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries.
5000W AC Inverter
I know I could get some of this stuff from mainland; but prefer to see such expensive goods in person (plus never used Taobao before); plus there are import taxes if I get it from US or mainland.
In the US we have suppliers/companies like this one (which is what Im looking for): https://www.renogy.com/
There is a bizarre lack of availability of this sort of thing in Taiwan, and it’s also overpriced when you can find it. Anything you buy in the shops will be made in China, and even more overpriced. Nobody in Taiwan (as far as I know) is making this stuff locally, although the government did plough a shitload of cash into PV incubators 10-15 years ago.
I suggest you stick with Shopee; you’ll pay import taxes one way or another regardless.
If you only want 200Wp, you can go to the electronics stores near ZhongXiao XinSheng station. I saw some 50W panels in the JinHua store a couple of days ago. They also have controllers and inverters, but they’re crap (and overpriced).
Incidentally, if you intend to run large loads, I suggest you use a 24V or 48V system. Maximum realistic output for a 12V system is <1kW (1500-2000W inverter rating).
How does Shopee work for big ticket items? Is buyer money withheld for a few days after I receive the item to see if it meets my need/works properly? I was looking at this Bluetti EP500
(I have some experience with the bluetti brand)
The cost seems to be similar to costs in the US. But if something where to be defective or break down; would the manufacturer warranty still apply to stuff bought from Shopee?
Looks like the listing is from China and is likely dropshipped; assuming Im willing to wait; are there any best practices when it comes to buying big-ticket items on Shopee like this?
dunno, never bought something that costs that much off Shopee before
However everything else I’ve ever bought is either COD or escrow. You’ll see the options when you check out.
If the warranty is with the manufacturer rather than the seller then the usual terms should apply, although obviously you’re stuck with the problem of sending it back.
Bear in mind that electricity prices in Taiwan are very low and the supply is extremely reliable. Unless you want to go completely off-grid (in which case I’d suggest buying individual components rather than an integrated unit) an expensive top-end system just won’t pay for itself.
Don’t know much about solar panels, but for Shopee I’d be a bit wary of buying something so expensive from a seller with so few products and ratings (seems like they’ve sold zero of this item before). It’s not a “definitely not”, but I’d be more comfortable with a seller with more of a reputation to keep. Otherwise, you’d probably want to chat with the seller to find out their warranty policy and stuff.
Has anyone here taken the “buy lithium batteries from the mainland via mainland dropshipper by boat and then paid all applicable customs duties/taxes” route? If so, can someone PM me some dropshipper contact info?
I mean, if they can markup and list on shopee; it must mean someone is going that route and doing it successfully.
Anyways; gathering options for now. Will make a decision in a bit.
Really? I heard they were “mulling” feed-in tariffs but didn’t realise they’d implemented it.
Realistically, virtually nobody is going to have the kind of building aspect that allows them to generate more than a couple of kWh per day. Apartment-block owners could do it, I guess. IMO a better bet for homeowners stuck in a highrise would be a little wind turbine. Tall buildings often create quite impressive amounts of wind, depending on how they’re arranged.
I buy almost everything from taobao now because dealing with (and filtering through) Ruten sellers is a fucking nightmare, and worst of all these middlemen offers no value but charges ridiculous markup for nothing.
I wouldn’t say Taiwan don’t offer equipment but there’s little to nothing at the point of sale. Everything here is done through middlemen. If you want solar panels and stuff you go to a company who installs solar panel and they will buy what they need to install it for you.
I’ve done some looking into it recently. I believe you can even install solar on land designated for farming. There are different rates for energy produced on rooftops vs open land but it’s not a big difference. Also seems that the rate changes each year. There’s even a government rebate available for solar equipment purchases. Seems like a great opportunity especially for large factory rooftops.
I see a lot in the countryside in Pingtung, either free standing with small crops/ grazing under, or on the tops of the barns/ factories. some of the best uses I have seen is on the livestock sheds and over the ponds of fish farms. Not only making electricity but helping to keep cool what’s underneath.
This is a free standing one, but if you use satellite view and look around you will find them dotted all around.
The battery market is itself full of fraudsters, simply because there’s so much money to be made with this sort of thing. Dozens of companies turning out LiFePO4 batteries that just fall to bits after three years or inexplicably go open circuit. Fake branding (EVE, CATL, etc) is rife.
I’ve found that the most reliable way to get good cells is to buy second-hand EV battery assemblies. That way you know what you’re getting, even if it has a slightly-reduced lifetime. The quality is also a whole lot better than you can achieve with manual assembly.
I know someone who runs a shop at the riverside near NTU who basically hand assembles a bunch of LiFe battery packs. He says he doesn’t have to market at all, customers comes to him. Actually I seen a lot of Taiwanese who opens up shops seemingly like magic and does zero marketing, and never has to struggle getting customers.
