What is the best solar Panel for your money?

[wika_boy]

What is the best solar panel that I can get for my money?

[russ]

One from a big company that will be around in the future then it is more or less like which do you prefer - chevy, ford or other.

[Sunking]

Sharp, BP, Kyocera. You want to stick with large manufactures where solar power is a small fraction of their product line. This will ensure you they will be around tomorrow to support their product. A large portion of the solar manufactures out there now are ghost companies and just a matter of time before they go bankrupt.

[innovativesolar]

The best solar panel on the market right now is one that fits your needs. When considering an install, cost is always a major issue and productivity can dictate scope. Find the panels that are being highly recommended, that work and that are fairly mainstream. They will serve you well.

[td44]

I've seen Canadian Solar panels producing impressive numbers, though I'm comparing to Suntechs

[SolarGainer]

how good is your money?

[solar_geoff]

Definitely REC Group Peak Energy (PE) series modules. Hands down best for the money.

[garybeck]

I can't believe no one has answered this properly yet.

I'm assuming you are interested in larger solar panels to power a house, as upposed to a small panel for camping.

If that is true, there a few criteria in choosing a panel:

1) type of materials: If you want a panel that will last for decades, get *crystalline* panels. There are two types - monocrystalline and polycrystalline. Doesn't matter which one, but get crystalline panels. Virtually every crystalline panel comes with at minimum 10 year warranty.

2) cost: to shop for panels, consider the price per watt. To do this find any panel for sale and take the cost and divide it by the wattage. This will allow you to compare the price of different size panels on a fair basis.

There are other things to consider, but those are the two main things. Other considerations include -- USA manufactured? Reputable company? Warranty?

Note, the efficiency of a panel is not a major consideration. A less efficient panel may take up a little more space but if it costs you less, that is a good investment.

Be sure to include shipping costs in your comparisons. Some websites will advertise great prices but gouge you on the shipping.

All in all, I look at Evergreen panels first. While they haven't been around as long as companies like Sharp and BP, they are US owned, and they are going up all over the place with little/no sign of reliability problems. They also have a unique manufacturing process that reduces waste. Check out their website evergreensolar.com

one thing I would add to the comments about "buy from a big, old company" because you want your manufacturer to be around 20 years from now. Presumably the concern is here that your panels will putz out on you in 5-10 years when they're still under warranty but the company will be gone. Yes there are many new solar manufacturers. However consider this.... I have been working with solar panels for over 20 years and I can tell you the longevity of solar panels (again, the crystalline ones) is not your number 1 concern. The vast majority of crystalline panels outlive their warranty by far. There are no moving parts in these products and very little degredation, and that is why the manufacturers will give them very long warranties. You don't have to go with BP or Sharp or Kyocera to get a panel that will most likely still be making power 40 years from now, or even longer, provided that you don't throw a rock at it. Bottom line, if it's still up to specs in 2 years, it will very likely still be up to spec in 20 years. Also note, if you're concerned about a company being there to honor your warranty, you might want to steer clear of BP!

Hope that helps.

If you want more help finding panels, feel free to send me a PM.

Regards,
Gary Beckwith