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Comparing Top-Tier Solar Brands

Jessica PirroAugust 5, 2019 3056 0

When it comes to choosing a manufacturer for solar panels, homeowners aren’t short on options in 2019. The technology for solar panels is improving yearly, and most solar panel companies are offering products that will offer long term warranties for their solar panels as well as high efficiency of a solar panel. SunPower is leading the pack in regards to the efficiency of a solar panel, but LG has the upper hand when it comes to the solar panels design and aesthetics, but solar companies like Canadian Solar are dominating when it comes to the appeal to having a low cost of solar. 

A Homeowner's Guide to Comparing Top-Tier Solar Brands

Solar Panel Brand

Average Efficiency of a Solar Panel

Average Cost of Solar Per Watt

Solar Companies Product Warranty

SunPower

20.6%

$3.25

25

LG

20.1%

$3.07

25

Canadian Solar

16.9%

$2.95

10

Panasonic

19.6%

$2.99

25

SunPower: The Leader’s

SunPower is considered by some the be the world’s best of the best when it comes to solar companies. SunPower is responsible for some of the highest performing solar panels on the market in 2019. When comparing the cost of solar, SunPower offers some of the most expensive solar panels on the market today.

One of the things that make the cost of solar worth getting a solar panel installation is the efficiency of a solar panel that beats out all other solar panel companies by a large margin. SunPower offers a world record high for the efficiency of a solar panel at almost 23% with an average efficiency of a solar panel rating of 19.7%. Another premium solar company Panasonic is not far behind SunPower, offering an average efficiency of a solar panel of 20.6%. SunPower’s impressive 25-year warranty, and the lowest equipment degradation rate on the market set the company apart as well. As a brand that manufactures solar panels with photovoltaic cells, SunPower has a lot of selling points. It’s safe to say that out of all of the solar companies, it is considered one of the top solar companies in 2019.

LG: Premium/Luxury Solar-Powered Systems with a Lower Cost of Solar than SunPower Solar Panels

Though LG is already considered a well-known household name for other electronics, the company is one of the newest solar companies on the market. Few solar companies can compete with SunPower or Panasonic when basing it off the efficiency of a solar panel, but LG solar panels are still considered to be some of the high-efficiency products that are available. The highest efficiency of a solar panel has a rating of 21.7%, and on average the company’s solar panels have an average efficiency of a solar panel of 20.1%. LG’s solar-powered systems product specifications are even more attractive when they are paired with the solar panel manufacturer's low cost of solar per watt ($3.07), which is $0.18/watt less than the cost of solar from SunPower.   

LG will also offer a sleek black solar panel design that is quite comparable to SunPower - which is a customer favorite on the United States solar panels market in terms of aesthetics. The solar company has also recently announced that all of their solar panels that come with a 25-year warranty like SunPower’s. Overall, LG matches the national average for the cost of solar per watt, while being considered a premium solar panel: which is pretty impressive for the cutthroat industry of solar panels with photovoltaic cells.   

Panasonic: Lower cost of solar than SunPower With Comparable Efficiency

This Japanese electronics company has become one of the most popular brands in regards to solar panels that are hitting the “sweet spot” between the efficiency of a solar panel and affordability for many homeowners in the U.S. solar panels market. Panasonic is hardly behind SunPower in terms of efficiency of a solar panel while maintaining a significant edge in terms of the cost of solar per watt and it also has a 25-year product warranty that had helped SunPower standout for many years.

Panasonic is known for its dynamic HIT technology that gives its products very high efficiency of a solar panel as well as a low-temperature coefficient, both of which result in higher electricity production. While most solar panels use a single layer of monocrystalline or polycrystalline silicon, HIT solar panels and they use a combination of monocrystalline and ultra-thin amorphous silicon layers to maximize the efficiency of a solar panel and to limit the heat energy loss. The surface of Panasonic’s solar panels also has a pyramid structure that can reduce reflection and direct more sunlight into the photovoltaic cells, maximizing the electricity output.

Canadian Solar: Low Cost of Solar, But Lower Efficiency of a Solar Panel

Another competitor to SunPower in terms of efficiency is Canadian Solar, the solar manufacturing giant out of Canada that ranks 4th in terms of global market share for solar companies. Canadian Solar is the largest provider that we are discussing, the solar company itself is responsible for over 150 MW of solar panel installations in Germany to date.

Canadian Solar offers economy solar panels that are manufactured in China. In the comparison between the top-tier brands of solar panels, Canadian Solar came near the top in terms of affordability with an average cost of solar per watt of $2.95. In terms, if both the quality of solar panels and the efficiency of a solar panel, Canadian Solar is more of a mid-tier brand. For the larger solar-powered systems that don’t maximum efficiency of a solar panel output, going with a brand like Canadian Solar will be a great choice that will certainly lower the upfront cost of solar.

Making a Decision, Finding the Best Solar-Powered Systems

When it comes to leading solar companies, there aren’t any bad choices. The solar-powered systems that you choose for your house it is dependent on your priorities. Though the SunPower may seem to be the undisputed complete package, its product may not prove to be reasonable in terms of affordability for the average homeowner.

Regardless of your value is the high efficiency of a solar panel, the low cost of solar, the warranty or the aesthetic, there will be a clear best option for you when choosing the solar-powered systems. Ultimately, the point is to be sure that you will fully understand and can effectively compare your options.

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