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AIKO named PSW Energy its Installer of the Year for Western Australia at the AIKO Gala Dinner and Awards 2026, held in Docklands, Melbourne, on 28 October during All-Energy week.
Take the award for what it is. A panel manufacturer has told you which Western Australian installer it rates, and that manufacturer also has panels to sell. It does not tell you how anyone installs a different brand. It is still useful, in a narrow way, because AIKO sees installers from a side the customer does not.
The award does not settle whether AIKO belongs on your roof.
We would not put a back-contact panel on every house. On a clear, unshaded north-facing roof with plenty of space, the efficiency premium has to compete with the plain option of adding a few more standard panels. The case gets stronger when the roof is the constraint: limited area, a difficult layout or partial shade.
Size the system to your load first, then choose the panel that fits the roof you have. If the cheaper panel does the job, we will say so. Our guide to the AIKO Neostar 3 series covers the panels available now.
Gen 4 was on show in Melbourne, but you cannot order it here yet.
AIKO used the same week to show its fourth-generation panels ahead of their Australian release. Its published figures include 510W and 25.5% efficiency for the 54-cell panel, up to 20W more per panel than the previous generation at the same size and weight. It also lists a 40-year product and power warranty on the dual-glass Z Series and 30 years on the mono-glass Neostar Champion.
The timing matters more than the wattage. AIKO says the Z Series is expected in Australia in 2027 and gives no date for the Neostar Champion. Its announcement does not mention Clean Energy Council listing either, and a panel has to be on the approved list before it can claim small-scale technology certificates.
So if a quote in front of you names Gen 4 today, ask for the exact model number and check it against the approved list. Then ask when it will be delivered.
Check the installer's standing with any manufacturer on your quote.
Ask any installer what standing they hold with the manufacturers on their quote, then ask the harder question: who takes the call in year four if something fails? A trophy cannot answer that one.
Get a quote if you want a system sized to your load, with the panel choice explained against your roof.
Sources
- AIKO ANZ, AIKO Awards 2026 winner's notice to PSW, 5 November 2026
- AIKO, Fourth-generation back-contact solar in Australia, 2 November 2026
- Clean Energy Council, Products program