Get your free no-obligation quote

GET A QUICK SOLAR QUOTE

So you’re looking for a new solar panel system, but hundreds of different brands and models are available, and you’re not sure which one to choose. This is often an extremely complicated task if you need clarification on which solar panels are appropriate for your specific needs. There are a few general guidelines when looking for the best solar panels. You’ll have an easier time determining what works best based on your location and how hot or cold it is; however, other factors, such as size constraints and budget, also come into play.

Most people want solar panels that will generate as much electricity as possible at a reasonable cost.

The most important selection criteria are panel efficiency, warranties, and value for money. Given the harshness of the Australian climate, the ability of the manufacturer to honour the warranty over the long term, as well as panel durability, is important.

The efficiency of solar panels is critical. It measures the sunlight absorbed by solar panels and converted to electricity.

More free solar electricity is generated per square metre of roof space with higher efficiency panels. With the trend towards all-electric homes, battery storage, and electric vehicles, it makes economic sense to maximise your rooftop’s power generation potential by purchasing the highest efficiency panels you can afford.

Of course, high efficiency panels are more expensive. Calculate the difference in power-generating output over a 25-year timeframe.

The additional power may be worth the extra cost.

While the inverter warranty is the most critical warranty with any solar panels system, it still pays to acquire the greatest solar panels warranty money can buy. The manufacturer provides two types of warranties for solar panels:

This guarantees the quantity of solar power produced by the panel after 25 years compared to its original output. While this warranty is notoriously difficult to claim, it does provide a good estimate of the panel’s durability. After 25 years, the industry average is a minimum of 80% performance. The top solar panels will have a 90% or higher performance warranty.

This warranty protects you against manufacturing flaws. The industry standard is 10 years, but the top solar panels now have a 25-year product warranty.

Warranties are only valuable if the manufacturer remains in business. This is when the Bloomberg Tier 1 rating comes in handy. It assesses the solar panel manufacturer’s bankability and financial health.

Given that solar panel warranties can last up to 25 years, it makes sense to buy panels from a company that will be there in the long run to honour their guarantees. Check out our page to learn all the important things you need to know about Tier 1 solar panel manufacturers.

If you live in an area that experiences extreme heat (such as northern and central Australia), you should consider the temperature coefficient of each panel option. The temperature coefficient indicates how much a panel’s output is reduced when the temperature rises or falls above or below the optimal range.

Over time, solar panels will deteriorate to some extent. If everything else is equal, they will perform better earlier than in later years. When you consider that solar panels have a projected lifespan of 25 years, the degradation is only natural. The degree of degradation varies between brands and is an indication of the panel’s quality.

The degradation rate is a statistic found in the panels’ datasheet’s performance warranty section.

It would be best to decide what is important to you. The best panels are helpful to us if their quality justifies the higher cost of solar panels. While cost is a significant issue, purchasing a high-quality panel that will not fail you is even more crucial.

Most residential panels generate between 250 and 400 watts per hour. The total output of the panel system should correspond to your home’s power requirements. The weather and the number of daylight hours on the available roof space will also determine it.

If you want to save money on your electricity bills, you’ll need panels that meet all or most of your energy needs. The good news is that Energy Matters can assist you in calculating the output of a panel per day by clicking this link.

When purchasing solar panels, it is critical to evaluate whether the company has an office and representatives in Australia. This often indicates their dedication to the Australian market; if they do not maintain an office in Australia, warranty claims will be far more challenging.

Energy Matters has a nationwide network of trusted local installers ready to provide you with up to 3 Free Solar Quotes. Get your free quotes today!

There are a few things to consider to find the best solar installer today: 

You can get the best solar out there for your home or business when you know what to look for in a solar installer in Australia today. Energy Matters has a network of local installers ready to provide you with up to 3 free solar quotes! Get your free solar quotes today.

Unfortunately, due to rising raw material costs and industry uncertainty, LG Electronics, Inc. announced in February 2022 that it ceased manufacturing solar panels, with their last manufactured lot occurring in June 2022. However, it will continue to honour warranties and provide support to customers who own LG solar panels. This is a significant blow to the solar industry because LG consistently produced high-efficiency, high-quality solar panels that were less expensive than others. The company’s reputation was based on producing the Neon 2 and Neon R panels, which both used high-quality, long-lasting N-type silicon cells. See the official LG press release.

Sunpower is the most efficient household solar panel model available in Australia. This US-based firm has an astounding 22.6% rate that no other company has been able to match so far, and they are known for producing high-quality products at a premium price. The solar cell is a device that converts energy from the inside out via back contact. This provides more space for sunlight absorption without sacrificing any area on the front side, which can be used almost indefinitely with traditional cells.

The Sunpower Maxeon series panels are built with high-performance IBC N-type cells, the most efficient solar PV cell technology available today. However, they cost more because of the more expensive materials and advanced manufacturing processes. SunPower’s more affordable Performance or P series panels are popular for residential and larger-scale business installations. Sunpower panels are quite popular in North America and are among the most reputable brands.

Norway founded the REC company in 1996, and all its products are manufactured in Singapore. REC was a pioneer in half-cut (also known as split-cell) solar panels, offering a variety of models in Australia.

REC produces high-quality, low-cost panels that are very popular among installers, particularly the Alpha series. All REC, Alpha TwinPeak, and N-peak panels include a standard 20-year product warranty and an improved performance warranty with reduced degradation, making it one of the best warranties available.

REC was the first to use half-cut cells in the split module configuration, which is now the industry standard due to increased efficiency and improved shade tolerance. The cost-effective TwinPeak series and high-performance Alpha series panels, which feature innovative N-type Heterojunction (HJT) half-cut cells, have propelled REC to the forefront of high-performance solar with extremely low deterioration.

Q Cells was founded in Germany but is currently situated in Seoul, South Korea, and is well known for producing high-quality solar panels based on proven solar cell technology. This brand isn’t well-known, yet it’s a hidden gem. With a panel efficiency rate of 21.2%, they compete with certain prominent brands. Q cells’ sophisticated technology has eliminated the threat of PID (Potential Induced Degradation). Potential-induced performance deterioration in crystalline photovoltaic modules caused by so-called stray currents is an issue that could have harmed the efficiency of your solar panels.

Over the previous four years, Q Cells panels have been among the top-rated solar panels in the ‘PV Module Reliability Scorecard Report’ published by PVEL, a leading independent solar module testing and performance service, in collaboration with DNV-GL. A top performer is one of the highest performing modules in the group, with no signs of serious degradation or failure during the four rigorous testing regimens. Q Cells was also the first manufacturer to receive TÜV Rheinland’s more demanding ‘Quality Controlled PV certification’ in early 2020.

Longi is another significant Chinese solar maker. They only began selling in full in Australia in 2017 and have a good reputation because of their energy-efficient technology and low prices. Some solar modules have utilised an excellent combination of PERC (Passivated Emitter and Rear Contact) innovation and bifacial technology.

LONGi Solar is the world’s largest manufacturer of solar products, including wafers, cells, and panels, and was a driving force in the solar industry’s transition to more efficient monocrystalline PERC cells. LONGi Solar, in addition to its massive manufacturing capacity, has a massive research and development staff and has held many cell efficiency records over the last five years. In recent months, LONGi’s R&D team has set new efficiency records using sophisticated N-type TOPcon cell technology. This more efficient cell architecture is expected to gradually replace the widely used PERC cell technology over the next 3 to 4 years.

LONGi Solar’s Hi-MO 4 mono PERC panels use the typical split-cell structure and have become one of the market’s most popular and economical 370W panels. Furthermore, the novel Gallium-doped silicon cells are an astonishing invention that has been shown to increase the lifespan of solar panels.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

Canadian Solar is renowned in Canada for its affordable prices and significant benefits. Canadian Solar, despite its name, manufactures its solar panels in China. Shawn Qu, however, launched the company in Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

Canadian solar panels are among the best in terms of price and performance. And, for the price, one of the highest quality solar panels available. Engineering cell technology has been introduced to the Australian market with an efficiency rate that guarantees more power per dollar spent on solar panels than any other brand. While their efficiency rate is lower than others at 19.91%, this firm compensates with Split-cell technology, which makes these solar panels affordable. With an office in Australia, Canadian Solar can assist you with the installation and maintenance of your panels.

Jinko Solar is another well-known Chinese panel manufacturer with a long history of serving Australian customers and contractors. It is the largest Chinese solar panel manufacturer by volume, producing a diverse range of affordable and dependable panels. Jinko engineers collaborate closely with the Australian UNSW solar research centre of excellence. They have set several efficiency records over the years due to their ongoing research and development in new PV cell technology.

JinkoSolar is one of the most innovative solar module manufacturers in the world. They manufacture goods in China for a varied global utility, commercial, and residential consumer base. They also created a vertically integrated solar product value chain with a yearly capacity of 27 GW for mono wafers and 31 GW for solar modules, among other things.

Trina Solar is a well-known Chinese solar panel manufacturer with a long history in Australia and a record of upholding warranties.

With dual-glass panels, Trina solar provides an economical and effective method to enjoy the sun. These specially designed materials decrease UV ageing, power degeneration in your Trina PV system, and corrosion, all of which cause performance concerns in your house or office.

Panasonic is a well-known Japanese corporation that produces high-quality premium solar panels. The company, formerly known as Sanyo, was a pioneer in high-performance heterojunction (HJT) solar cell technology and established itself as one of the industry leaders in high-performance solar panels with over two decades of experience. HJT cells are constructed from more efficient, higher purity N-type silicon, which has the lowest degradation and performs best at high temperatures.

Panasonic’s high-quality panels are ideal for hot areas due to their extremely low temperature coefficient of 0.26%. They deliver exceptional performance and service, backed by a 25-year warranty that includes robust output power guarantees. With an efficiency rating of 20%, these low-temperature coefficient products are among the best solar panels in Australia.

Hyundai Heavy Industries Group includes Hyundai Energy Solutions. Hyundai returned to the Australian market in 2018 after leaving in 2009. It has just begun working with many distributors.

Hyundai has a lengthy history in energy and manufacturing dating back to the early 1970s. In 2004, Hyundai entered the solar business and gradually created a solid basis in solar panel manufacture. Unlike its vast Chinese competitors, Hyundai Solar has focused on producing a modest number of high-quality, low-cost solar panels based on proven solar cell technologies.

One distinguishing aspect of Hyundai solar panels is their shingled construction, which improves efficiency. Furthermore, the solar cells have no gaps and only a tiny overlap. Even in partial shade, this results in a larger cell area and improved efficiency. The UF series has a maximum efficiency of 21.3%.

Tindo Solar is now Australia’s only solar panel manufacturer and is well-liked by installers and clients. The company uses high-quality mono PERC cells in the newly built manufacturing facility near Adelaide. However, due to the limited production volume, they can be difficult to find outside of South Australia.

There’s no getting around the high initial costs of putting solar panels on your home, which may run into thousands of dollars even for a cheaper or smaller system. Despite the initial cost, investing in solar can pay out in the long run, thanks to several incentives and generous feed-in tariffs. Aside from rebates and feed-in tariffs, you’ll need to evaluate if you’ll be living in your home in the long run, as it may take several years to get a return on your investment.

You may disagree with the ranking criteria for all of our research into the best panels, or you may place far more emphasis on one of the criteria, such as high efficiency or value. Of course, you must choose the best panel for your house and financial situation. Visit this page to learn tips and choose the best solar panel.

Energy Matters has over 17 years of experience in the solar industry and has helped over 40,000 Australian households in their journey to energy independence. Let us discuss and choose the best quote that suits your needs and budget. Use our free solar quote system to get up to 3 free solar quotes from our network of trusted, local installers. Complete our quick quiz and begin your solar journey today!

Get a quick solar quote, or contact us today toll free on 1800 EMATTERS or email our friendly team for expert, obligation-free advice!

Other Energy Matters news services:

Serving Canberra, ACT; Sydney, NSW; Melbourne, Victoria; Adelaide, SA; Perth, WA; Brisbane, Queensland; Hobart, Tasmania; most Australian cities and regional areas including Gold Coast, QLD and Newcastle, NSW. | ACN: 632 317 545 | ABN: 41 632 317 545