First of all, my hats off to you for researching the purchase of solar panels for your home. Now, you may be wondering which panel is best for you.

People do not invest time in little-bit of light homework to buy solar. Get multiple quotes, ask the right questions, and invest time researching solar panels in their homes. These are factors for the most satisfied customers. They also get the best return on investment when they purchase solar panels especially when you replace your roof with solar panels.

So again, congratulations on doing your research. But also a heads up because solar panels are much like other big-ticket purchases. There’s the shallow end of the information pool, and then there’s the deep end. By that, buying solar can be as easy as looking at financial numbers. Moreover, installation companies that’ll do the work for you. Or you can get into more complicated things like panel efficiencies, wattages, percentages, and other perplexing combinations of numbers.

There are more options for panels on the market than you have time or interest to read.  Trust us, the information is plentiful. Ultimately, there is no one answer for which solar panel system is the absolute best. This is simply because there are multiple ways by which “the best solar panels” can be defined. In the end, the only lens that matters is the one you’re looking through. We aim to help you find the best solar panel system for YOU.

How To Compare Solar Panels

Let us show you how to determine which is the best solar panel system for your home. First, you must ask yourself how you weigh the following things:

1. Efficiency
2. Warranty
3. Price
4. Performance
5. Look

How you rank these things will depend on how you rate the best solar panels. You consider your type of home, your working budget, and the number of trees near you. Moreover, how much you are willing to trim or cut them, and even what car you drive.

1. Best Solar Panels by Efficiency

We all know technology happens quickly if we judge the speed of things by the release cycle of the iPhone. Solar panels are no different. Like the iPhone, solar panel improvements are also marginal from one model to the next. Nonetheless, there are top-efficiency panels on the market. A feat that would take the” best solar panel” claim when filtered by the most efficient. The following panels are manufactured by SunPower. They are a solar panel manufacturing pioneer and often the leader of the pack in terms of efficiency. Next, LG Electronics– a South Korean multinational electronics manufacturer. Then, REC Group– a leading European brand of solar panels, and Panasonic – a Japanese multinational electronics manufacturer.

Notice the top four solar panel manufacturers are split between two large panel manufacturers and two large general electronics manufacturers. Hence, it only makes sense that these companies top the list of best panels regarding efficiency.

1. SunPower 22.8% efficiency.
   1. https://newsroom.sunpower.com/2016-02-22-With-a-New-World-Record-SunPower-Launches-Its-Most-Powerful-Solar-Panel-Available-to-Homeowners
2. LG 21.7% efficiency.
   1. https://www.lg.com/us/business/solar-panels/lg-lg375a1c-v5
3. REC Group 21.7% efficiency.
   1. https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2019/05/16/the-heterojunction-alpha-solar-module-at-21-7-efficiency/
4. Panasonic 20.3% efficiency.
   1. https://na.panasonic.com/us/energy-solutions/solar/hit-series/n340-hitr-series

The reason why you may want the most efficient panels is if you happen to have a limited amount of space on which to install panels. Higher-efficiency panels tend to have the highest wattage and convert the most sunlight into electricity. What this means to someone with limited roof space is that they would need fewer panels to produce more electricity. Thus requiring less roof space. The downside to the most efficient solar panels is that they are the market’s most expensive ones. All that cutting-edge technology will make for the highest solar panel efficiency. Still, it usually comes at a noticeable cost, which may take a bite of the return on investment.

2. Ranked by Warranty

If you rank the best solar panels by warranty, you will notice that the same companies making the best solar panels in terms of efficiency also offer the best warranties. This is important because if you buy one of these solar panels for your home, you are aligning yourself with large companies that are likely to be around the entire term of your warranty. Furthermore, given that they have been around for more than 25 years already.

LG

This is one of the most bulletproof warranties because it is backed by a large company that specializes in making electronic devices. The warranties in their most recent lineup of panels include labor for the entire 25 years. They have a solid line of defense against degradation (the loss of output over time), and a product warranty that runs the whole 25 years. This is unlike the standard product warranty in the solar industry of 10 years. The reason why, in our opinion, this solar panel’s warranty is so magnificent is that LG is a multiple-trillion-dollar-per-year company. This should matter to you because you can make a sizeable bet that LG will be around another 25 years to own the warranty with you.

Panasonic

Panasonic’s warranty is vital because it is backed by a vast electronics manufacturer that has also been around longer than 25 years. While Panasonic is not as large as LG, this Japanese manufacturer makes a stellar product in a segment of manufacturing. They have their competitive solid advantage: electronics manufacturing. Panasonic has been offering a warranty above 90% production at year 25 before most other manufacturers. This speaks to the company’s confidence in its product and subject matter expertise. Panasonic will warrant the performance & product of their panels for 25 years, and if you buy their panels through the correct installer, it will also offer 25 years on the labor if you ever have to replace a solar panel.

SunPower

We like the Sunpower warranty because it is the granddaddy of panel warranties. They have been offering an all-inclusive product, performance, and labor warranty for the longest time of all the solar panel manufacturers. This exemplifies how the company sees itself as a leader in solar, it’s standing as the most efficient solar panel manufacturer, and its history over the last 29 years of sticking it out as a solar panel manufacturer in a long history of seeing other companies come and go. The only knock I can think of regarding the SunPower warranty is that the company has seen better days. Although they are backed by a multi-billion dollar energy conglomerate called Total, if we had to bet who would be the first company to go out of business between LG, Panasonic, and SunPower, my money goes against SunPower.

3. Price

Solar panels come in a wide array of pricing levels like anything else. For example, the latest and greatest from LG and Panasonic will cost you more than an average panel from a different company. SunPower solar panels will cost you even more than LG and Panasonic. On the contrary, companies like Canadian Solar, Mission Solar, and Hanwha Qcell are offered at lower prices when compared to the higher-end solar panels from LG, Panasonic, or SunPower.

To put things into perspective, let us consider a solar panel system for a home that needs 12kW to offset its usage. First, it is essential to note that 12kW equals 12,000 watts, which will mean a different quantity of solar panels depending on the capacity or wattage of a particular solar panel. So, for example, if we start with a 370W solar panel from LG or Sunpower, we’ll need 32 solar panels to produce 11.84kW. Suppose you have the roof space and want to consider a lower-cost panel.

In that case, you might opt for Canadian Solar or Hanwha Qcell 325W models, which means you would need 37 panels – five more solar panels than with LG or SunPower – but the price difference would be anywhere between .60-.70 cents per watt. That math equals a price difference of at least $7,200. How that math works out is 12,000W multiplied by ~.60 equals $7,200.

Price Differences

With a price difference like that, you may consider the lower-wattage panel that is less efficient but requires more roof space, especially if you have the space available or are buying the system in cash. If you are financing the system, then the monthly payment would increase only a marginal amount relative to the total monthly fee – but you’re also paying a little bit more in interest.

DroneQuote can offer any make and model of the solar panel so long as our installing partners carry it in their lineup. For the lower-cost panels, we often see a recurring selection of the following makes:

1. Hanwha Qcell
2. Canadian Solar
3. Mission Solar

These three panels usually come in wattages ranging from 310 watts per solar panel to 325 watts per solar panel – and if you have space available to install even more panels, you could opt for lower-wattage panels that cost even less. Still, again, you have to ask yourself if your budget is the primary filter through which you are ranking panels.

Degradation

The diamond industry has told us that diamonds are forever, but when it comes to solar panels, that statement does not apply, unfortunately.

Solar panels do not last forever; as time passes, the solar panel’s ability to convert light into electricity degrades over time. This is known as degradation, which happens at varying speeds – depending on the warranty. Like the labor inclusion of a solar warranty, you may want to consider the degradation number to a high degree, depending on your future plans. Solar panel degradation may matter to some people because as the panels produce less power, you repurchase more energy from the utility.

If you have a utility that charges lower rates, it may not matter as much. Still, if you live in an area like San Diego, where San Diego Gas & Electric has some of the highest rates in the country, you may want to prevent buying any amount of power from the grid you can avoid.

Ranking panels by degradation:

1. Sunpower – At the end of 25 years, SunPower warrants that their latest X, E, and A – Series panels will be able to produce 92% of their day-one production. Source:https://us.sunpower.com/solar-resources/sunpower-x-series-and-e-series-residential-ac-pv-module-limited-warranty
2. Panasonic – At the end of 25 years, Panasonic warrants that their VBHNxxxKA03 & VBHNxxxSA17 series panels will meet 90.76% of production at day one. Source:file:///Users/rebekahmontoya/Downloads/hit-limitedwarranty_usa_sa17ka03-0818_warranty%20(1).pdf
3. LG – LG warrants that at the end of 25 years, their NEON R panels will exceed 88% of production at day one with a lot of their panels, and their latest and greatest panels are warranted to produce 90.8% at the end of the year 25. Source:https://www.lg.com/us/solar/blog/understanding-solar-warranties-will-my-solar-panels-really-last-25-years

A conventional panel will have a warranty at a minimum of 80% of the day-one output from solar panels like Canadian Solar, Mission Solar, and others. Hanwha Qcell comes in a little better at 85% of day-one production at the end of 25 years. If you compare these numbers to premium panels, you will see that the output difference at 25 years can be pretty significant from the top-of-the-line solar panels to the average solar panels.

While output matters 25 years from now, remember that if you want to align yourself with the best solar panel warranties, you have to be okay with spending more today to prevent buying more power tomorrow. To paint a picture of that cost difference, reference the math we showed you in the previous price example we did above.

Best Solar Panels by Look

Ranking solar panels by their look may seem trivial since one might think panels all look the same, but in reality, there can be very obvious or subtle differences in how they look. Sometimes, the same model is framed with silver aluminum rather than black frames, depending on its intended use. Commercial panels are typically crafted in silver, whereas residential solar panels are usually stated in black.

If you install panels on the part of your home that is not easily seen, you may not care too much about their look, but if they’re going on the front of the house, you may watch a little more. Also, some panels have thin wires on the surface that are visible if you look closely, whereas others don’t. The “better looking” also tends to have a premium on the price for that look, so keep that in mind if you rank the best solar panel by price overlooks.

Canadian Solar Panel

LG Solar Panel

Hanwha Qcell Solar

Sunpower Solar Panel

Hanwha Qcell Solar Panel

What We Recommend Depends On YOU

Based on our conversations, we can recommend the best solar panel for a particular client, but ultimately, the client will tell us what they think the best solar panel is for them based on variables.

1. Expectations. – It all starts with your expectations of installing solar. Some want to avoid the cost of electricity. Others see it as a way to get a good investment return. While others want to run the AC to chill their beers.
2. Future plans. – Perhaps the homeowner knows that something will change in their usage as time passes. Sometimes, a homeowner will tell us they plan on buying an electric vehicle.  This can significantly affect a home’s power consumption. Other times, a homeowner will notify us that their family size will shrink as kids attend college.
3. The current cost of power. – If a home is located where electricity costs are relatively low, it may sway a person to buy the least expensive solar panels. It makes the cost of electricity from solar less than the utility cost.
4. The current use of power. – Frequently, people use far less energy than they would like to, given that the cost of electricity is high in a particular utility. This usually means that their historic electricity use would, in fact, be higher if the price of electricity were lower.
5. Peace of mind mentality. – Some people will always value the peace of mind offered by larger, more established companies, so this type of client may be okay with spending an additional cost on solar panels with better warranties backed by more established companies.
6. Likelihood of investing your money elsewhere. – There have been times when a customer sees the difference between lower-wattage panels and higher-cost/more efficient solar panels.

Arguments To Buy One Over Another

What kind of guide would this be if we did not make an argument in one direction or the other? We like to think we are unbiased in panel manufacturers. So we would like to make what we feel are strong arguments in either direction. Hopefully, we have been able to provide other information of value to you that can help you decide which solar panel is the best fit for your home.

Arguments For Top of  the Line Solar Panels

1. Cost of electricity in the future – Top-of-the-line solar panels will produce more power today and in the future. If you invest in the best solar panels today, you will buy less energy from the utility tomorrow as their prices increase. Live in a utility like SDGE, with higher rates than anywhere in America. You may see a higher return on your initial investment as the most efficient solar panels will outproduce their rivals as they run the course of their 25-year warranty.
2. Degradation – Tying into the previous point regarding the cost of electricity in the future, a higher-cost SunPanel will produce 12% more power than a lower-cost Canadian Solar panel at the end of 25 years. Also, during 25 years, you can expect an actual avoided cost that would have otherwise been paid to the utility.
3. Look – Higher-end panels will typically look better because of how they are manufactured, which also ties into why these panels are more efficient.
4. Warranties – A top-tier solar panel will include a warranted output more significant than 25 years and typically include labor for the entire 25-year period. Though we will mention that, surprisingly, Canadian Solar does include labor in their panel replacement warranty, so there’s that.
5. Peace of mind – You usually expect the highest protection and performance when you buy the best. The peace of mind delivered from purchasing the best is worth every penny to many people.

Arguments For The Cost-Effective Solar Panels

1. Better price today – As demonstrated earlier, the difference between the “best” solar panels and your average solar panels can be very noticeable. Some people may have difficulty justifying the price difference between the two options. The savings for the lower-cost solar panel may be significant enough that they would rather keep the money in their pocket. This is compared to investing in the latest and greatest solar panels.
2. Greater offset – A homeowner who was previously using electricity to a more frugal level may be more inclined to buy a lower-cost solar panel option because it would mean a higher offset of power today without spending a great deal more on the cost of the system. For example, producing 30% more power than is being used currently will cost much less with average panels than it would with higher-end panels.
3. Investment of difference – If you have the roof space available, we would argue against top-tier panels because the price difference may be invested elsewhere in the market and yield a greater return than you would otherwise get from the savings in electricity. This last point may not apply to some people if they don’t actively manage their investment portfolios, but it may speak volumes to those who do. Especially if there was a $7,000 price difference on the line, which could be invested elsewhere.

The Best Solar Panels For You

Ultimately, you will want to ask yourself what matters most to you as you are looking to invest in solar panels for your home. Our job at DroneQuote is to ensure that we offer you precisely what you want to see, not what we think you want. So, to that end, we’ll ask to learn more about your expectations and goal of installing solar panels, and we suggest you read through the Frequently Asked Questions we have seen from different clients. The more you know – or knowing is half the battle.

As always, if you have further questions regarding anything we covered here today, please feel free to contact us at info@dronequote.net. If you would like to get started with getting the most competitive quotes for solar without the hassle of in-home sales, please go to www.dronequote-get-started/