1.REC Solar Panels:
They scored bronze – in 2021, silver – in 2022 and gold in 2023 with 36% of total votes. REC’s other products are also fantastic:
- -0.26% / ºC temperature coefficient of Pmax3
- 0.25% annual degradation4
- 25-year product warranty
These panels have an amazing feature: they have two extra framing struts, flex less, will last longer, and have less stringent clamping zones.
2. Sunpower Panels:
It won by an impressive vote of 29%. This panel is fantastic, but it isn’t easy to justify the price premium compared to Maxeon Panels. SunPower Maxeon 6 panels are:
- 22.8% efficient, 0.5% better than the REC
- 0.25% warranted annual degradation, equal to REC
- -0.29% / °C Temp coefficient of Pmax.
- 40-year product warranty
It is one of the only panel manufacturers that have yet to transform to half-cut solar preferable to whole wide technology, each beermat-sized wafer sitting on a slab of expensive and robust copper.
3. Q Cells/ Trina:
They both share 3rd spot.
Regarding Q Cells, it has three tiers of solar panels – The Q.PEAK series produced products in South Korea. Q Boost – their midrange offers are made in Malaysia and last.MAXX series, Q Cells – the most affordable panel made in China.
Q.Peak panels are up to 21.1% efficient; with these key specs:
- 0.5% warranted degradation
- -0.34% / °C Temp coefficient of Pmax
- 25-year product warranty and retail for about 90c per watt.
While Trina makes panels only in China and have the same price point. Trina Vertex S solar panels are up to 21.8% efficient with the following:
- 0.55% warranted degradation
- -0.34% / °C Temp coefficient of Pmax
- 25-year product warranty and retail for about 60c per watt.
4. Jinko Panels:
It is the ‘best value solar panel’ category. Jinko’s Tiger Pro panel is up to 20.77% efficient with:
- 0.55% warranted degradation
- -0.35% / °C Temp coefficient of Pmax
- 25-year product warranty
And we are expected to pay about 60c per watt retail for Jinko solar panels.
Footnotes
- 20% of installers in our network found the time to respond – they are busy
- The lower this number, the better the performance in hot climates.
- The less power the panel is warranted to lose over time.
- The solar rebate is worth about 44c per watt.