YOUR OPINION ON OSCARO POWER SOLAR PANELS (2024)

Democratize access to solar energy in individual homes. This is the ambition of Oscaro Power, a company launched in 2019 by the founder of Oscaro.com, the famous car parts sales website. 

The French manufacturer advocates more accessible solar energy and markets do-it-yourself kits. The starting point Domestic solar power still has a great deal of room for growth, since individual homes account for only 10 % of "solar capacity" in France. 

Economical, ergonomic, complete and easy to assemble, Oscaro Power's solar kits are designed to be accessible to as many people as possible, while offering modularity to meet everyone's needs... at least on paper! What are they really worth? Our opinion on photovoltaic panels for the housefrom Oscaro Power, in this practical guide.

Oscaro Power: a young brand that thinks big

Oscaro Power was created in 2019 by Pierre-Noël Luiggi, founder of the Oscaro.com auto parts website. In 2018, he sold the site to the PHE group to launch, a year later, the sale of photovoltaic panel kits, and raised 4 million euros to develop this new project. The ambition is clear: to democratize the use of solar energy in individual homes in France and Western Europe.

To set itself apart, Oscaro Power is going against the grain, with the disruptive idea of offering complete, do-it-yourself kits, while still supporting customers with educational documentation on the website, as well as an online configurator and simulator to size the photovoltaic installation according to the household's energy consumption, climatic conditions, available roof surface area, etc.

Today, Oscaro Power boasts the cheapest package on the market. According to the brand, a family of 4 to 6 people living in a 130 m² house or apartment today has to spend around €15,000 to cover half its energy needs with solar power... compared with around €5,000 if it were to buy a kit from Oscaro Power. The company also claims that its kits can reduce a household's monthly bill by between €300 and €600, which translates into a return on investment in no more than 5 years. 

Success was not long in coming: in 2020, Oscaro Power sold 10,000 kits, generating sales of 2.5 million euros. The company has built this solid performance on omnipresent customer service, positioning at an angle to the competition and, above all, a catalog supported by recognized brands, first and foremost SunPower, the sector's undisputed leader.

Oscaro Power provides a comprehensive range of tools for homeowners wishing to embark on the do-it-yourself solar kit adventure: 

• Ultra-complete kits that are easy to install and connect thanks to a "Plug & Play" wiring system;
• Protective enclosures with quick connectors, made in Savoie and complying with current safety and electrical compliance standards.

What are Oscaro Power photovoltaic panels worth?

Oscaro Power offers a wide range of photovoltaic solar panels from a number of carefully selected brands. While the French startup's aim is to democratize access to photovoltaics in individual homes by driving prices down, it cuts more on the cost of installation than on the quality of the equipment.

The only downside is that French brands have disappeared from the Oscaro Power website in 2022. In their place are panels from Slovenia's Bisol, American SunPower in the high-end category, and China's Trina! In so doing, Oscaro Power is demonstrating its ambition to position itself in all ranges, from entry-level with Trina to premium with SunPower, via Bisol for the intermediate range. 

The Slovenian brand's photovoltaic solar panels offer excellent value for money, and boast a number of strong points: a sophisticated aesthetic finish (Full Black), translucent, two-sided and low-carbon. 

Basically, Oscaro Power offers 3 ranges of solar panels:

• Standard solar panels 12 products in total (Trina, Bisol, SunPower, Longi and TW Solar);
• Designer solar panels 10 products in all, with a wide choice of colors (red, green, orange...);
• Special" solar panels For the time being, only the SunPower P3 AC IQ7A - 375 Wp is available in this range. Priced at €439, this photovoltaic panel is the fruit of a partnership between SunPower and Enphase.

But if we come to Oscaro Power, it's above all for the company's specialty: preconfigured, ready-to-install kits. Let's explore this range!

#1 Stand-alone solar kits for remote sites

This category includes four stand-alone solar kits: S, M, L and XL. To help you see things more clearly, here's a table summarizing the composition of these stand-alone solar kits, their advantages and the electricity needs they can cover.

Name of the kit	Composition	Benefits	Price	Electricity requirements
Autonomous solar kit S	3x TRINA Solar 405 Wp panels, VICTRON ENERGY Phoenix 24 V 375W inverter/charger, 1980 Wh 24 V battery	Suitable for small consumers, customizable kit, easy to install	From €1,623	1 person with low consumption: USB charger, LED lighting, small fridge (in summer), hi-fi, fan, PC and TV, laptop charger.
Stand-alone solar kit M	6x TRINA Solar 405 Wp panels, VICTRON ENERGY Phoenix 24V 800W inverter/charger, 3180 Wh 24 V battery	Suitable for daily use, customizable kit, easy to install	From €2,454.99	2 people using lighting, TV, fridge, USB/PC chargers and appliances in summer.
Autonomous solar kit L	8x TRINA Solar 405 Wp panels, VICTRON ENERGY Multiplus2 48V/3000W inverter/charger, 6360 Wh 48 V battery	Suitable for daily use, customizable kit, easy to install	From € 8,098.44	4 people using lighting, TV, fridge, appliances and USB/PC chargers.
Stand-alone solar kit XL	12x TRINA Solar 405 Wp panels, VICTRON ENERGY Multiplus2 48V 3000W inverter/charger, 6360 Wh 48 V battery	Suitable for standard homes without water heaters or electric heating, customizable kit, easy to install	From €8,230	5 people living in a standard house with no water heater, no electric heating and all the usual electrical appliances.

As you may have noticed, no mention is made of the warranty offered for these kits, for the simple reason that Oscaro Power only offers manufacturers' warranties. The only mention on the brand's website is: "the warranty can be up to 30 years, depending on the manufacturer".

#2 Self-consumption solar kits 

Are you connected to the public grid? Oscaro Power offers 3 self-consumption solar kits: Solar, Power and Max. Compare : 

Name of the kit	Composition	Benefits
SOLAR Kit	6x Trina Solar Photovoltaic Solar Panels - Honey 375 Wp, 6x Enphase IQ7+ Microinverter, 1x Enphase Envoy-S metered Monitoring Gateway, 1x ESDEC roof mounting kit in 1x Line of 6x in portrait view	Easy to install, scalable up to 12 panels, latest panel and inverter technologies, 25-year warranty on Enphase microinverters, panel-by-panel supervision and optimization, automatic updates via Internet, Enlighten supervision application on smartphone and computer.
POWER Kit	8x BISOL DUPLEX 375 Wp solar panels, 1x Fronius Primo 3.0 single-phase inverter with data manager as standard, 1x Fronius single-phase Smart-meter + 5 metres communication cable, 1x ESDEC mechanical tile roof mounting kit with 2x lines of 4x panels in portrait.	Recommended to cover 50% of consumption, upgradable to advanced features (variable control, additional storage, single-phase line security), Made in Europe kit, integrated supervision of production and consumption, integrated solar router for load control.
MAX Kit	16x TRINA SOLAR 405Wp solar panels White background, 1x Huawei Sun2000-6KTL inverter with standard FusionSolar supervision, 1x Huawei Smart Power Sensor single-phase meter	Annual production equivalent to the consumption of a 6-person household, approx. 75 % of autonomy, Huawei hybrid inverter for simple addition of batteries, scalable up to 7,500 Wp, battery option and back-up power supply available

The aesthetics of Oscaro Power photovoltaic panels 

Oscaro Power offers everything from the most standard panels (from Trina, for example) to the most fashionable (the SunPower Full Black is a real beauty). The brand also offers a range of "designer" solar panels, with a total of 10 products to date, including (among others) the Bisol Spectrum Deep Red 320 Wp solar panel. With its bright red color, this panel will look great on a red-tiled roof.

The performance of Oscaro Power solar panels

Oscaro Power solar panels are available in peak power ratings from 220 Wp (Bisol) to 425 Wp (Jinko Solar). As the brand markets solar panels designed by third-party manufacturers, it's impossible to give an opinion on the performance of its products. Naturally, you'll be better off with SunPower than with Trina. To help you compare the different references offered by the brand, we've compiled the following table: 

Special features	Bifacial	Full Black	IQ7A integrated	Performance ++.	Performance ++.	Performance ++.
Brand	Bisol	Bisol	SunPower	TW Solar	Trina Solar	Jinko Solar
Power (Wp)	375 + 130 Reverb	375	375	420	420	425
Technology	MonocrystallineBifacial with translucent Tedlar	Single crystal half-cell	Single crystal half-cellPERC Shingle	Single crystal half-cellPERC Shingle	Single crystal half-cellPERC	TOPCon
Performance guarantee	25 years to 85 %	25 years to 85 %	25 years at 87.2 %	25 years at 84.8 %	25 years at 84.8 %	30 years at 87.4 %
Product Warranty	15 years old	15 years old	25 years old	15 years old	15 years old	15 years old
Performance	20.2 % to 27.2 %	20.20 %	19.10 %	21 %	21 %	26.1 %
Origin	Slovenia	Slovenia	Asia	Asia	Asia	Asia

Users' opinions on Oscaro Power solar panels 

User reviews of Oscaro Power solar panels are generally positive. Only downside Oscaro Power: some customers report difficulties with delivery, a challenge common to several brands in the sector. A victim of its own success, Oscaro Power is very often out of stock on certain products, and even on entire ranges. However, reviews are generally good, as shown by this selection of Trustpilot-verified reviews. 

Management of deadlines to be reviewed

" Very well designed site, but stock management needs to be reviewed. The initial delivery time was 4 weeks, but it's now over 8 weeks and no one can confirm when I'll receive all the parcels. I'm told that their stock will be replenished in a month's time, with no guarantee that I'll be able to receive delivery by then. At the very least, I'd appreciate it if you could give me a reliable delivery date, whatever it may be.. " (March 23, 2023)

Superb

" Superb website, both in terms of design and help and explanations. Exceptional chat, with patient and very available advisors. A little complicated about delivery times. " (March 17, 2023)

Good delivery

" Items ordered delivered ahead of schedule. Honesty of the salesperson contacted for an item indicated as unavailable, who acknowledged a lack of clear vision as to the restocking lead time. I have therefore rethought a detail of my installation. Thank you. " (March 6, 2023)

Oscaro Power equipment and installation: quality

" Quality equipment, delivery too long... but perfect customer service. The technician for the inverter settings and the wiring diagrams for the panels. Took the time to explain and was very educational, as I'm a novice. Perfect, I recommend Oscaro Power, don't hesitate!. " (March 2, 2023)

Oscaro Power solar panels: strengths and weaknesses 

The advantages 

• Significant savings: reduce installation costs by installing the solar kit yourself. The average cost of a kit is 2 euros per Wp, compared with 3 euros per Wp for solar panels;
• No administrative formalities are required to install solar kits;
• Budgetary flexibility: you can use the funds saved on the installation to choose a larger kit or invest in a storage battery;
• Quick and easy installation: the pre-configured kits are easy to install, even for beginners and people with no particular DIY experience, thanks in particular to the customer service ;
• Support guides: the Oscaro Power website offers step-by-step guides to make installation easier.

The disadvantages

• No government subsidies: "self-installation" makes you ineligible for government subsidies, which are reserved for installations by RGE professionals. You can, however, benefit from the reduced VAT rate of 10 % on kits with a power rating of 3 kWp or less. Note: the absence of government subsidies is offset by savings on the RGE installer, as the brand explains here ;
• Accurate sizing: inadequate sizing can lead to overproduction (loss of profitability) or underproduction (limited savings and loss of comfort). Make sure you size your system correctly to maximize the benefits. A professional can be justified in this respect.

What are the alternatives to Oscaro Power?

DualSun 

DualSun is a French company specializing in the design and manufacture of photovoltaic and hybrid solar panels. It is positioned as an interesting alternative to Oscaro Power, in particular because it offers hybrid panels, combining photovoltaic electricity production and domestic hot water (DHW). 

This technology optimizes roof space and improves the profitability of the installation... which may justify its higher price.

You can consult our opinion on Dualsun solar panels for the hometo find out as much as you can 😉

What other alternatives are there?

It all depends on your budget. If you're willing to put in the money, we can only recommend the American SunPower, the reference in this field. DualSun and LG Solar are serious alternatives. And Ikea has also been on the scene for some time, challenging the big boys with its power.

Sunpower Photovoltaic Panel Reviews

Ikea opinion on the furniture giant's solar panels

Opinions on Oscaro Power: summary 

In our opinion, Oscaro Power solar panels are an interesting option for those looking for pre-configured solar kits that can be adapted to various configurations. Their scalability means that panels and batteries can be added as required. 

Although it's perfectly possible to install the photovoltaic system yourself, bear in mind that you'll be taking responsibility for site management, correct installation of the kit and maintenance. Solo installation can also make it difficult to sell surplus electricity on the public grid, and you won't be able to benefit from state aid to finance the work. 

However, Oscaro Power enjoys excellent feedback from its customers, confirming the quality of its products and customer service.