The best panel in the world is the panel that best fits your unique circumstances.
Hmmm, the best panels in the world? It’s a rarefied badge of honour, no doubt. But take such lofty claims with a grain of salt – a big grain at that. ‘Best’ can often mean that the manufacturer simply has the deepest pockets for clever marketing.
There’s no doubt that certain solar brands and manufacturers have proven efficiency that beats the competitors. There’s certainly high-end solar panels, standard panels, run of the mill panels, and downright cheap and nasty products you should avoid like the plague. In that regard, solar panels are like any other consumer product.
When a solar retailer uses sales rhetoric such as, “these are the best panels in the world!” It’s time to move on and find a more honest dealer. In the solar game, there’s no such thing as “best in the world.” Best should only ever be defined as the best for you. That is, the best panels for your household electricity demands, desired savings goals, geographical location, budget, and return on investment.
With the exclusion of dodgy brands, there are as many ‘bests’ as there are solar customers. A solar system should be tailored to your specific needs, including your budget. And quality solar operators will do exactly that – tailor a system specifically for you.
Forget notions of best in the world. Instead, for those looking at superior performance, think of solar panels more in terms of high efficiency, and premium quality and performance.
“World” comparisons can be a distraction. Different brands are popular in different countries for a host of reasons. That which is considered the best here in Australia, might only get a casual nod of approval in the United States.
Let’s have a look at what attracts a generic ‘best’ label. What’s the performance criteria that earns a panel brand top billing? And is this criteria the same around the world? We’ll investigate the technical aspects of panels that earn them a best, or premium designation.
Understanding this information enables you to make better decisions about selecting the right system for your budget and electricity demands.
We can safely say that the majority of new solar customers don’t really understand solar or the solar industry at all. And for good reason. Why would you need to know? Solar brands are not like sporting brands, cosmetic brands, fashion labels or vehicles brands. Solar is not really part of our lives like these ubiquitous consumables.
It’s safe to say most of us know the difference between a Ferrari and a Toyota Corolla, a Range Rover Vogue, and a base model Mazda ute.
Solar is the same. There are premium brands that do fancy stuff, attract status and a pretty penny. There’s also ordinary brands that get you from point A to point B. There are also cheap and not-so cheerful brands with dubious and mysterious credentials that often masquerade as quality.
There’s certainly security going for a recognised brand. That said, you shouldn’t discount lesser known brands,particularly when they’re coming from a highly reputable dealer with great feedback and references.
The following bullet points show reputable solar panel brands available in Australia. This is by no means an exhaustive list. There are more that could be represented here. There are also a few that would never make it on any reputable list.
Notes:
Some brands have models represented in different price categories
We’ve used a vehicle comparison to help you get the idea
Excellent entry level solar panel brands include:
(This is like a base model Toyota Corolla. Cost efficient, reliable and will get the job done)
Excellent mid-price panels brands include:
(More like a well-appointed family SUV, such as a Toyota Prado or a Mitsubishi Pajero)
Top of the range, high efficiency performance brands include:
(These are your Rolls Royce and Ferraris…all the bells and whistles, and at a price)
However, it is vitally important not to look at simply brand alone. Every brand has multiple models. For example; LG’s lowest performing panel performs lower than most “entry level” brands’ best performers. This is something retailers can take advantage of in their sales pitch. It always comes down to specifications at the end of the day.
The unhelpful short answer to this is yes…and no. Panel principles are pretty much the same. Poke them at the sun, and let them work their magic creating electricity. But the best panel claim is often derived from contrasting criteria.
A panel could be advertised “best in the world” for:
Volume of sales. The inference from sales volume is that more people like them, so they must be better. Different brands are subject to varied popularity from country to country. So volume and popularity is not really a great indicator of best.
Technical Specifications. This ‘best’ is likely derived from having the best performance specifications as measured in a lab. Brands like this can effectively claim “best in the world.” But this is misleading, and it might not translate in the real world with all key criteria assessed.
For example. the brand with the next best performance specifications might be 15% cheaper, and be proven to last longer in the real world. And their deficit in performance specs is only in numbers and pretty much irrelevant when based on real world application.
Government Influence. The Trump administration has placed a 30% tariff on imported solar panels to encourage panel manufacturing in the USA. Tariffs place an artificial restriction on the market, so panel brands are not competing on equal terms. Some brands will be advantaged or disadvantaged based on price to performance ratio.
The cultural influence on customer preference. US citizens have a definite preference for AC panels. AC panels have micro inverters either attached to the panel after manufacture, or built in during manufacture.
In Australia, we tend to prefer DC panels with line inverters. AC panels are definitely the superior product and considered a no brainer choice for the bulk of US solar customers. So they would be unlikely to consider any DC panels as “the best.”
The difference between Australia and the US in this case has little to do with “the best.” AC panel technologies were introduced into the US market long before they were in Australia. AC tech was widely available and became affordable in the US, while it was still very rare in Australia.
While AC panels, micro inverters, and optimisers are far more commonplace in Australia now, the US was at this point nearly a decade ago. So Australia has some catching up to do in that space.
Climate. Dollar for dollar, the best panels for a family home in Brisbane, Australia, is going to be different to the best solar panels for a family home in Surrey, England. Brisbane is world famous for endless hot days of brilliant sun. Surrey is quite the opposite.
The frequency of high cloud cover in England would likely require a high efficiency panel to maximise limited sunlight. In Brisbane, a more important panel feature may be heat resistance and durability. Again, the best is relative.
Our panels are best because we say they are! Never underestimate the power of a marketing team’s imagination, nor their ability to manipulate and even invent the truth. Lots of “the best” talk all comes back to marketing campaigns.Much of what we hear directly from manufacturers about their products is highly structured in order to sell panels to a particular target market in a particular location. It’s better to research independent solar experts, journalists, and commentators. These professionals can provide critical information free of marketing hype. “Best” is better determined by impartial investigation.
“These are the best panels in the world!”
“These panels are the best for extremely hot climates, where there is a small roof area, high electricity requirement, and a budget under $10,000.”
Ultimately, it’s best to focus on the panel specifications that suit your needs over focusing on brand. There are a number of features that place a panel into a high efficiency category. High efficiency panels are fantastic and generally considered the best of panels.
However, customers also need to consider the return on the investment. Do your circumstances warrant the extra expense of high efficiency? Or are quality standard panels the best option for a better return on investment?
Solar customers can also be persuaded or dissuaded by brand origins, or the country of manufacture. Rumours are abound about poor quality from China, and top quality from Germany.
Good solar professionals will steer you away from misleading scuttlebutt such as this. There’s good and bad products that come from everywhere. There’s also identical products, made in the same location sold under different brand names.
Of course, sticking to a high end leading brand may offer some peace of mind. But ultimately, this may be a false economy relative to your solar needs and your return on investment.
Stick to the focusing on the panel specifications that best suit your solar application. A professional solar retailer will help with this. And a solid warranty is all the peace of mind you will need.
So, what panel specifications secure “best” status anyway? It mostly relates to efficiency.
The key feature of premium panels is their performance. This is calculated based on the efficiency at which they convert sun rays into electricity. The bullet points below provide an approximation of panel efficiencies.
We will usually be making our solar selection from either Monocrystalline panels or Polycrystalline panels. Without going into chewy technical details, these terms refer to the panel manufacturing process.
Monocrystalline is more efficient than polycrystalline. There can be greater than 10% efficiency difference from the least efficient poly to the most efficient mono. 10% might not sound like a lot, but in solar, these figures are very meaningful.
Unsurprisingly, higher efficiency mono will attract a premium price. So mono selection must be weighed against need and return on investment. This is getting tricky now as technology improvements are bridging the efficiency gap between mono and poly, while prices still can remain disparate.
In some circumstances and locations, high efficiency mono panels will be a strong recommendation. In this case, they would be deemed “the best” despite the extra outlay.
In other situations, solar homes may be well positioned to make a great return on their investment by installing poly panels with the more affordable outlay. In this case, poly would be considered “the best”, as it provides access to the best figures for return on investment.
Generally speaking a roof full of solar panels might detract from the looks of your property. Some don’t mind panel aesthetics; others find panels imposing and unattractive.
There are several situations where aesthetics matter. Your home may be designer, or period. In this case, solar panels may conflict with the desired building cosmetic.
In such instances, premium mono panels are usually advised. While beauty is subjective, it is widely understood that premium mono panels provide a far more pleasing appearance. As they are high efficiency, there is also the likelihood that less panels are required to achieve electricity production goals. Less panels mean less of a cosmetic imposition.
Broadly speaking, high efficiency panels are much better in terms of aesthetics. Where attractive aesthetics are highly desirable, high efficiency panels are generally best.
Considering the sun is essential for solar panels, most people are surprised to hear that panels don’t like excessive heat.
Generally speaking, high efficiency panels are better rated for hot environments. But not always. Those who live in hot environments should seek out panels with excellent resistance to heat. Panel efficiency decreases as the mercury rises. So the best panels for hot environments are those which retain better solar conversion under heat stress. Best, in this case, is relative to location.
We’ll only touch briefly on warranty, as it is a quite involved aspect of panel customer protection. There are two types of warranties for your solar panels: product warranty and performance warranty.
The performance warranty covers against efficiency loss of a certain percentage over an advised period. The market standard is a loss of 20% at 25 years. Serious research is required to get the full low down on performance warranties. For many reasons, these warranties are a little dubious, and known for claim denials based on arbitrary criteria.
The warranty you should focus on is the product warranty. This is like any other product warranty, protecting you against faulty work at the point of manufacture.
A good industry standard is 10 years, some have as little as 5 – probably best avoided. The leading brands often have opt-in warranty options (for a fee) that can extend the life of the warranty. Brands such as Panasonic, LG and Winaico, have maximum warranties of up to 25 years.
Consumers who look for customer protection will often consider a product to be “the best” based on the warranty. There is reasonable logic behind this, as a long warranty shows a manufacturer stands by the endurance quality of their products.
Best in the world is a myth at worst and highly misleading at best. It’s the sort of rhetoric panel customers should really avoid paying any heed.
Professional and ethical solar dealers know this, and they will steer your focus toward panel specifications that are the best for your unique circumstances.
There are certainly high efficiency panels out there, and they’re fantastic. But differentiating between the performance of the best of the top brands often reveals only minor performance differences, and often big price differences. Remember, return on investment is usually the most desirable feature of going solar in the first place.
Brand can be used as a guide for reputability. But again, stick to performance specs that best suit your circumstances, budget, and potential for maximising return on investment.
For the most part, “best panels in the world” is pointless marketing rhetoric. Such talk should be discounted, or left to the realms of solar tech gurus, to whom .0001 of an efficiency percentage matters in a game of solar panel pride.
The best panel in the world is the panel that best fits your unique circumstances.