Solar panel reviews help you find the best solar panels for your home in 2018
At SolarReviews our mission is to arm consumers that want to buy solar panels with the best information tools possible to help them find both the best solar panels for their home, the best inverter for their solar system and also the best solar prices they can get. Buying solar panels is not a simple purchasing decision because they are designed to last at least 25-30 years and so this a long-term investment.
If you want to buy an individual solar panel for a caravan, boat, RV or trailer then there are plenty of online websites that sell these products such as Amazon, Wholesalesolar, altEstore GoGreenSolar and others. Some of these will offer advice about the products but the cheapest websites typically offer little help in choosing the correct product for your needs.
DIY solar panel kits are also available from these websites, but even those that run these websites will tell you that a DIY solar panel installation for your home is not something you should take on lightly because of the physical risk in working on the roof, the potential to damage the solar modules if they are installed incorrectly and also the requirements for permits and approvals from the city and your utility company.
If you are looking for solar panels for home then you are much better to use a licensed and experienced solar installation company. Our site shows you reviews of the best solar companies in your city. A home solar energy solution will typically be grid-tied, meaning excess power you might generate during the day is exported to the grid. If you live in one of the 35 states with a net metering law you get a one for one credit for this exported solar power. This allows you to use one kilowatt hour (the unit of measure electricity is billed in) of electricity at night for free.
Our solar panel calculator and estimator is also a free online tool you can use to estimate how many solar panels you will need to cover your power usage, their cost, and savings. If you wish you can enter your details and one of our great pre-screened solar pros that services your area will measure your roof and confirm the online estimate with a solar quote.
Each brand of solar panels has their own warranty, efficiency and other electric specifications based on the solar cells used within the module. Whilst a standard solar panel warranty is 25 years, some are now as long as 30 years. A standard efficiency of a typical panel is around 17% but high efficiency panels such as those made by the brands above can have efficiency up to 22%.
How do solar panels work?
There are two different types of solar panels that use different types of solar energy.
There are solar thermal solar panels that use the sun’s heat to heat water. Solar hot water systems have been around for quite a while and are a great way to use renewable energy to save money.
The second type of solar panels are those that convert the irradiation of sunlight into electricity. Turning sunlight into electricity is a phenomenon known as the photovoltaic effect. Sometimes this is abbreviated to PV and so solar power systems for homes are sometimes called PV systems.
Most solar panels are made from silicon although there are other solar technologies and materials that can also be used to make solar panels. When you buy a residential solar system it will generally use either monocrystalline solar panels or polycrystalline panels.
Find solar panel brand
In the first table below you will find our expert reviews of the top 5 brand of residential solar panels commonly used in the US in 2018.
These solar panel comparison tables can be expanded by clicking the + symbol on the right of each brand. Below the expert reviews, you will find consumer reviews of all of the top brands of residential solar panels commonly used in the US today.
The SolarReviews expert rating of the best 5 brands of solar panels currently being sold in the USA:
Panasonic solar panels
The Panasonic N series of panels are a good quality solar panel with a top efficiency on their 330 watt monocrystalline system of 19.7% and a very impressive temperature coefficient of -0.29%, a figure which is equal best with the market leader Sunpower.
The key reason that we rate Panasonic number 1 as a solar panel brand is not the quality of the solar panels per se (although the race is close between their technology and Sunpower's) it is the strength of the company.
They also score well on value compared to Sunpower being slightly cheaper based on what we can see from offers being promoted in the US market. However, they may not have this pricing advantage for long and Sunpower have began moving their manufacturing offshore to reduce costs and better compete.
There are two specific things about the strength of the company that lead us to weight this so highly being:
- They have a hard earned reputation as an excellent electronics manufacturing company and so we believe the likelihood of their panels having defects out of the factory, or developing defects in the future is very small; and
- They are part of one of the strongest corporate groups in the world and one of the most valuable electronics brands in the world. Companies that have a brand that is worth billions are much more likely to spend money on warranty work and replacing faulty products than those companies with little value tied up in their brand.
LG solar panels
The LG Neon series of panels are a good quality solar panel with efficiency between 18.6 and 19.5% conversion of solar irradiation to power at the module level. This is in the top 5% of module manufacturers. LG also offers a range called Mono Plus panels with efficiency in a range of 16.8 to 17.4.
Similar to Panasonic in the number 1 position, the key reason that we rate LG as the number 2 solar panel manufacturer is due to the strength of the LG conglomerate along with the high quality of their solar panels.
They also score highly on value when compared to the other solar panels that are in the top 5 percent on panel specifications such as Sunpower and Panasonic.
Their Neon 2 series uses a technology they call "Cello" to reduce internal resistance and this has allowed them to gain slight improvements in efficiency, but they are still somewhat below Sunpower and Panasonic on the efficiency of their panels.
There are two specific things about the strength of the company that lead us to weight this so highly being:
- They are a well known global manufacturing company who continue to build a reputation for high quality. Therefore we believe the likelihood of their panels having defects out of the factory, or developing defects in the future is relatively small; and
- They are part of one of the strongest corporate groups in the world and one of the most valuable electronics brands in the world. Companies that have a brand that is worth billions are much more likely to spend money on warranty work and replacing faulty products than those companies with little value tied up in their brand.
Canadian solar panels
The Canadian Solar Dymond series of panels are a very good quality solar panel with a top efficiency on their 300 watt monocrystalline system of 18.33%. The temperature coefficient, a measure of the amount power output falls as temperature rises isn't particularly outstanding at -0.39%.
The key reason that we rate Canadian in our top 5 as a solar panel brand is not the performance of the solar panels per se it is the value they offer, their stable financial position and their reputation for manufacturing quality control.
Read moreSunpower solar panels
The Sunpower X series of monocrystalline panels are the most efficient solar panels used widely in residential solar installations in America with their X21-345 panel claiming an impressive 21.5% average panel efficiency. They also make an E Series of monocrystalline panels in the range of 320 to 327 watts that also offer an impressive maximum efficiency of 20.4%.
Sunpower also has a range of polycrystalline solar panels (not surprisingly known as the P Series) that have efficiencies much closer to industry averages of around 17%. They tend to market these to cost sensitive commercial and utility scale customers. Sunpower's X series of solar panels are clearly the best solar panels on the market both in terms of efficiency and in terms of temperature coefficient, although their is a premium price to be paid for these excellent panels.
Read more
Hyundai Heavy Industries solar panels
Hyundai Solar is the largest and the longest standing PV cell and module manufacturer in South Korea. They have 600 MW of annual module production capacity and provide high-quality solar PV products to more than 3,000 customers worldwide. They strive to achieve one of the most efficient PV modules by establishing an R&D laboratory and investing more than 20 Million USD on innovative technologies.
Hyundai Heavy Industries give 10 years product warranty and 25 years performance warranty.
They have TI-Series as well as RI-series modules. Both series includes multi-Crystalline and Mono-Crystalline modules.
The most efficient solar panels on the market in 2018 are:
The best value solar panels on the market in 2018 are:
Compare the specifications and warranties of different panel brands
Please select from the list of Panel Manufacturers shown below
AblyTek
Processing Zone, Pingtung City
Taiwan,R.O.C
Specifications
Warranty Information
Work very good .
Looks good
Amazing!!!
BYD (Huizhou) Battery
Los Angeles CA 90015
Specifications
Warranty Information
BYD makes solar modules, batteries, cars and busses
I work closely with the North American sales manager for BYD - Nicholas. When he comes to South Florida, I try to teach him Spanish and feed him good Cuban food.
Because BYD is such a large company and has been around for so long (Warren BUffet invested in them) - I trust they will be there to help us if any support needs arise. It is helpful to go to one team of engineers for solar power and batteries.... read more
See the best offers available in your city
Best solar panels. installed 265 watt panels and working as good as expected
The quality and performance is top notch!
See the best offers available in your city
Takes a licking and keeps on ticking
My Kyoceras are getting close to a decade old. Working great!
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