Adelaide-based Tindo has signed a five-year deal to export solar panels to Vietnam as foreign markets increasingly seek quality equipment in their renewable energy systems.

Tindo’s $8.4 million agreement with Thanh Do Australia will supply 15MW high-quality solar panels to large projects in Vietnam via the parent entity, Thanh Do Construction Group, which is engaged in infrastructure, real estate development and clean energy projects in Vietnam.

The first shipment of Tindo 430w rooftop solar panels will leave Adelaide in June for Vietnam and the export agreement with Thanh Do will run for five years, Tindo’s longest export deal.

The export agreement reinforces the quality of Tindo’s panels, which recently topped the CHOICE survey of 15 solar panels available in the Australian market. In that survey, Tindo’s Karra 410w module was the only panel in which the tested output matched the nameplate claim.

Richard Petterson, Chief Executive Officer of Tindo, said the export deal was validation of high-quality Australian engineering and manufacturing.

“This five-year agreement is a vote of confidence in Tindo’s employees, and in Australian manufacturing’s ability to succeed at the premium end of a very competitive market,” said Mr Petterson. “Tindo internally invests in R&D and engineering to ensure we produce a solar panel that always outperforms the market. Australians are prepared to pay slightly more for a high-quality panel and we’ve identified the same premium market in other territories such as Vietnam,” said Mr Petterson.

The 430w rooftop solar panels being exported to Vietnam are made at the Tindo facility in Mawson Lakes, South Australia. They ship with a 25-year product warranty and they are cyclone-rated.

“If you start with quality, you get better power output and greater reliability over extended years of operation,” said Mr Petterson. “That gives you the best chance of abating more CO2 in the energy system than was produced in manufacturing the equipment. The Vietnamese market is aware of this equation.”

Mr Petterson said Tindo planned to increase its production capacity as demand grew for premium solar panels. Tindo started making panels in 2011 and opened its new factory in 2021.

Image: Tindo