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An Australian federal court fined two Aussie energy firms $125,000 for claiming the solar panels they were selling were made in Australia when it was really manufactured in China.

The companies were identified as P&N Pty Ltd and P&N NSW Pty Led, trading as Euro Solar, and Worldwide Energy and Manufacturing Pty Ltd (WEMA) which used to trade as Australian Solar Panel.

The court case, initiated by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), also penalised Nikunjkumar Patel, director of P&N and WEMA, $20,000 for his involvement in the misrepresentation because he was aware of the offence but did nothing to stop or correct it.

Mr Patel insisted that their conduct was due to lack of understanding of relevant laws and the absence of an effective compliance system. He admitted the two firms' behaviour were carless and reckless, but added the false claim was not done deliberately or willfully.

The two energy firms even had video testimonies on YouTube as well as written ones on WEMA's Web site that claimed the sun panels were made in Australia, but it turned out they were not made by real customers of the two firms. These false claims were made between November 2012 and September 2013 and were brought to the ACCC's attention.

ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said in a statement on Friday, "Credence claims such as country of origin can be a powerful marketing tool for businesses, with consumers often prepared to pay a premium for products made in Australia."

So as not to be hoodwinked by unscrupulous solar panel vendors, here are some tips on how select the best sun ray catchers.

YouTube/SolarPanels1

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