Solar Panel Quality

Congratulations on your decision to reduce or eliminate your electric bill completely! The next major step on your solar panel journey is finding the right solar panels for your home. Not all solar panels are made the same, and it is a good idea to do some initial research, before buying the wrong kind of solar panels.

What are the types of solar panels?

Some of the best providers of solar panels come from recognized companies that you might have heard of. These are the top three producers currently available on the market, and each of them has a good reason for being on this list.

Solar Panel Types

LG Solar - These are your top of the line across the board. They are your best overall option and provide a robust 25-year guarantee and one of the highest efficiency outputs on the market at 22%! This is an excellent addition from a company that is already well regarded in the electronics industry. This is a great choice if you want something that checks off having the highest score. 

SunPower Solar - This company is fully dedicated to only producing solar panels and they win the race for having the most efficient solar panels on the market today. Their current efficiency is at 22.8%, meaning that they have the best absorption rate. If your main focus is finding the most efficient, SunPower Solar is the clear winner and they may continue to be as this is their pure passion. 

Panasonic HiT - Yes, even Panasonic has gotten into the solar panel business. They focused their panels as they focused all their products and that is on durability. Specifically, these panels are made with temperature fluctuations in mind. They have the best temperature coefficient in the market, meaning they maintain their efficiency better in wide ranges of temperatures, especially warmer climates. When it comes to material composition the best option you can get for solar panels is mono and polycrystalline solar panels. 

Monocrystalline solar panels - These are the most traditional and also the most up to date solar panel types available on the market. They are made from pure silicone and offer the best energy efficiency rating out there. Here you can reach an optimal energy efficiency of about 20%. This also ends up being the most expensive cost, because each cell on the panel is made individually while producing excess silicon waste.

Polycrystalline solar panels - This is a more modern version of its cousin above. Here you can take silicon fragments (even the waste from the monocrystalline solar panels), and form solar panels in this method. It leads to a brighter blue color, and a cheaper cost as well. Because this isn’t solid silicon in each cell, the efficiency average is lowered to around 16-17%. 

Thin-Film solar panels - This is where science fiction hits reality and makes these types of solar panels. One of the newest types available on the market, they only seem usable for large scale developments such as commercial buildings. They are much lighter than their counterparts and do not need to be made from silicon, but are able to be made from a wide variety of materials. Their energy efficiency hovers around 11%, the lowest of the three, and they don’t come in traditional power cell grids but are actually long strips of solar panels. 

Which Solar Panel should homeowners pick?

Now that you know the types, this is where you need to take the further step and get the experts in. Discuss your options with your solar panel installer, and possibly hire an electrical engineer. They will know what is the best type for your home and your area and how many solar panels you will need. Ensure that the type you pick is durable enough for your weather conditions and that you select the highest efficiency rating based on your budget. Based on this, you should probably consider going with a monocrystalline option as they offer the highest efficiency. It might also end up being the most expensive initially, but the efficiency and output will repay this initial investment over time easily. Most important when purchasing solar panels is to purchase them from suppliers that offer extensive warranties and coverage for your panels. You are going to have these panels for a long time, and your manufacturer should be able to provide ample coverage and support for your region. These panels are going to be constantly exposed to the elements, whether it is consistent daylight, or ranging temperatures or inclement weather during the fall/winter, it is important that these solar panels hold up to the degradation from nature.