YOUR OPINION ON OSCARO POWER SOLAR PANELS (2023)

Democratize access to solar energy in individual homes. That's the ambition of Oscaro Power, a company launched in 2019 by the founder of Oscaro.com, the famous car parts sales site. 

The French manufacturer advocates for a more accessible solar energy and markets DIY kits. Everything starts with an observation Domestic solar energy still has a lot of room for improvement, as individual homes only account for 10 % of "solar capacity" in France. 

Economical, ergonomic, complete and easy to assemble, the solar kits signed Oscaro Power want to be accessible to most people, while offering a nice modularity to meet the needs of everyone ... 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 car parts website Oscaro.com. In 2018, he sold the site to the PHE group to launch, a year later, in the sale of photovoltaic panel kits, and raises 4 million euros to develop this new project. The ambition is assumed: to democratize the use of solar energy in individual homes in France and Western Europe.

In order to stand out, Oscaro Power is going against the grain, with the disruptive idea of offering complete kits, to be assembled by the customer, while still providing educational documentation on the website as well as an online configurator and a simulator to size the photovoltaic installation according to the household's energy consumption, climatic conditions, available roof surface, etc.

Today, Oscaro Power boasts of marketing the cheapest pack on the market. According to the brand, a family of 4 to 6 people living in a house or apartment of 130 m² must now spend around 15,000 € to cover half of its energy needs in solar ... against about 5,000 € by equipping with Oscaro Power. The company also claims that its kits can reduce the monthly bill of a household by 300 to 600 euros, which translates into a return on investment in 5 years maximum. 

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

To equip individuals who wish to embark on the adventure of the solar kit to assemble yourself, Oscaro Power systematically provides : 

• Ultra-complete kits that are easy to install and connect thanks to a "Plug & Play" wiring system;
• Protection boxes with quick connectors, manufactured in Savoie and meeting the safety and electrical compliance standards in force.

What are Oscaro Power photovoltaic panels worth?

Oscaro Power offers a wide range of photovoltaic solar panels from several carefully selected brands. If the will of the French startup is to democratize the access to photovoltaic in individual houses by pulling the prices down, it cuts more on the cost of the installation rather than on the quality of the equipment.

A downside, however: the French brands have disappeared from the Oscaro Power site in 2022. Instead, we find panels from the Slovenian Bisol, the American SunPower in the high-end category, and the Chinese Trina! In doing so, Oscaro Power shows its ambition to position itself on all ranges, from the first price with Trina to the premium with SunPower, through Bisol for the intermediate range. 

The Slovenian brand's photovoltaic solar panels offer an excellent quality-price ratio and combine the strong points: a rather sleek aesthetic (Full Black), translucent, two-sided and low carbon. 

Basically, Oscaro Power offers 3 ranges of solar panels, namely:

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

But if we come to Oscaro Power, it is especially for the house specialty: the preconfigured and ready to mount 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 more clearly, here is a summary table of the composition of these autonomous solar kits, their advantages and the electricity needs they can cover.

Name of the kit	Composition	Benefits	Price	Electricity needs
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	Starting at €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	Adapted to daily consumption, customizable kit, easy to install	Starting at $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	Adapted to daily consumption, 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 a standard house without water heater or electric heating, customizable kit, easy to install	From € 8,230	5 people living in a standard house without water heater or electric heating and with all the usual electrical appliances.

You will have noticed that there is no mention of the warranty offered for these kits, for the simple reason that Oscaro Power only offers the manufacturers' warranty. Only mention on the site of the brand: "the guarantee can go up to 30 years, depending on the manufacturer.

#2 Self-consumption solar kits 

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

Name of the kit	Composition	Benefits
SOLAR Kit	6x Solar Photovoltaic Panels Trina Solar - 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	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 solar panels 375 Wp, 1x Fronius Primo 3.0 single-phase inverter with data manager as standard, 1x Fronius single-phase Smart-meter + 5 meters communication cable, 1x ESDEC roof mounting kit with 2x rows of 4x panels in portrait	Recommendation to cover 50% of consumption, upgradeable to advanced features (variable control, add storage, secure single-phase line), kit Made in Europe, integrated production and consumption supervision, integrated solar router for load control
MAX Kit	16x Solar panels TRINA SOLAR 405Wp White background, 1x Huawei Sun2000-6KTL inverter equipped with standard monitoring via the FusionSolar application, 1x Huawei Smart Power Sensor single-phase meter	Annual production equivalent to the consumption of a 6-person household, approximately 75 % of autonomy, Huawei hybrid inverter for simple addition of batteries, scalable up to 7,500 Wp, battery option and backup power available

The aesthetics of Oscaro Power photovoltaic panels 

You can find everything at Oscaro Power on the design side, from the most standard panel (from Trina in particular) to the most trendy (the SunPower Full Black are beautiful). The brand also offers a range of solar panels "design", which includes a total of 10 products to date, including (among others) the solar panel Bisol Spectrum Deep Red 320 Wp. With its bright red color, this panel fits very well on a red tile roof.

The performance of Oscaro Power solar panels

Oscaro Power solar panels are available in peak power ratings ranging from 220Wp (Bisol) to 425Wp (Jinko Solar). Since the brand sells solar panels designed by third-party manufacturers, it is impossible to comment on the performance of its products. Of course, you'll be better off with SunPower than with Trina. To help you compare the different references offered by the brand, we have compiled the following table: 

Special feature	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 drawback Some customers report difficulties with delivery, a challenge common to several brands in the sector. Victim of its success, Oscaro Power is very often out of stock on certain products, even on entire ranges. However, the reviews remain good overall, as shown by this selection of reviews verified on Trustpilot. 

Management of deadlines to be reviewed

" Site very well done but stock management to review. The initial deadline of 4 weeks to receive everything, I am now at more than 8 weeks and nobody can confirm when I will receive all the packages. I am told that their stock will be replenished in a month, with no assurance that I will be able to be delivered at that time. It would be nice if they could give me a reliable time frame, whatever it is.. " (March 23, 2023)

Superb

" Superb website, both for the design and the help and explanations. Exceptional chat, with patient and very available advisors. A bit complicated on delivery times. " (March 17, 2023)

Good delivery

" Items ordered were delivered ahead of schedule. Honesty of the salesman contacted for an article indicated not available, who recognized a lack of clear vision as for the deadline of re-approval. I therefore rethought a detail of my installation. Thank you. " (March 6, 2023)

Oscaro Power equipment and installation: quality

" Quality material, delivery too long... but perfect customer service. The technician for the settings of the inverter and the connection plans for the panels. Takes the time to explain and very educational because I am a novice. Perfect, I recommend Oscaro Power, do not hesitate. " (March 2, 2023)

Oscaro Power solar panels: strengths and weaknesses 

The advantages 

• Significant savings: reduce installation costs by installing the solar kit yourself. For a kit, count on average 2 euros per Wp, against 3 euros per Wp for solar panels;
• No administrative steps are required to install solar kits;
• Budget flexibility: you can use the funds saved on the installation to choose a larger kit or invest in battery storage;
• Quick and easy installation: the pre-configured kits are easy to install, even for beginners and people with no particular DIY experience, thanks to the customer service;
• Supporting Guides: The Oscaro Power website provides step-by-step guides to help with installation.

The disadvantages

• No state aid: the "self-installation" makes you ineligible for state financial aid, reserved for installations by RGE professionals. However, you can benefit from the reduced VAT rate of 10 % on kits with a power less than or equal to 3 kWp. Please note: the lack of state aid is offset by the savings on the RGE installer, as the brand explains here ;
• Accurate sizing: Improper sizing can result in overproduction (loss of profitability) or underproduction (limited savings and loss of comfort). Make sure you size your system correctly to maximize the benefits. The use of a professional may be warranted in this area.

What are the alternatives to Oscaro Power?

DualSun 

DualSun is a French company specialized in the design and manufacture of photovoltaic and hybrid solar panels. It is positioned as an interesting alternative to Oscaro Power, particularly 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 home, to know as much as possible 😉

What other alternatives are there?

It all depends on your budget. If you want to spend the money, we can only recommend the American SunPower, the reference in this field. DualSun and LG Solar are serious alternatives. And Ikea is also in the landscape for some time to challenge the big guys in the sector 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 who are looking for pre-configured solar kits that can be adapted to various configurations. Their scalability allows you to add panels and batteries as needed. 

Although it is perfectly possible to install the photovoltaic system yourself, keep in mind that you involve your responsibility in the management of the site, the correct installation of the kit and the maintenance. Solo installation can also make it difficult to resell surplus electricity on the public grid and you will not be able to benefit from state aid to finance the work. 

However, Oscaro Power enjoys excellent customer feedback, which confirms the quality of its products and customer service.