Best Solar Panels, Top Brands Compared

There are a wide range of solar options on the market and deciding which one is best for your project can be an overwhelming process. There are over a hundred different solar panel brands on the market, and many are very similar offering a low price but also offering poor warranty, poor quality and subpar energy production. Many customers are driven to the lower price without completely understanding the tradeoff. In this blog we will review how the top panel manufacturers stack up and what makes them better than the other options.

Best solar panels for residential installations

The best solar panels are from some of the most well-known companies, but we will go into details on why these are the best options on the market.

1. SunPower: Best solar panel efficiency rating
2. Solaria: Best looking panel with high efficiency ratings
3. REC: great efficiency ratings and value pricing options
4. Silfab: Good warranty and good value
5. Mission: Best panel assembled in the USA
6. Q Cells: Best panel for budget customers
7. Canadian Solar: A leader in bifacial technology

The top 3 solar panels receive the top ratings as the best panels due to high efficiency ratings, high product quality, and strong 25-year warranties. SunPower, Solaria and REC offer the best energy production offerings on the market and stand by their products with industry leading warranties. Their panels are made with premium monocrystalline solar cells design with each manufacturers unique specifications making each panel different but the very best options for residential solar. All three panels do come with higher price points than the lower tier panels but in general the security of the longer and better warranty and the higher energy production over time will offset the higher upfront price.

We used the most common panel ranking factors used within the industry when comparing panels. Below are the factors we will compare in this blog. We used a leading panel from each manufacturer but note all manufacturers have multiple models with different specifications.

1. Efficiency
2. Temperature Coefficient
3. Warranty

Best 5 Panel manufacturer ranked by efficiency – A solar panel’s efficiency is a measure of how well it converts sunlight to electricity.

1. Sunpower: 22.8%
2. Solaria: 20.4%
3. REC: 20.3%
4. Silfab: 20.0%
5. Mission: 19.53%

Best 5 Panel manufacturers ranked by temperature coefficient – A solar panel’s temperature coefficient is a measure of how much a panels production is lowered in hot temperatures.

1. REC: -0.26%/C
2. SunPower: -0.29%/C
3. Q Cells: -0.34%/C
4. Mission: -0.361%/C
5. Silfab: -0.377%/C

Best 5 panel manufacturers ranked by warranty – Warranty of product and energy production to protect against product or manufacturer defects.

1. SunPower: 25 years
2. Solaria: 25 years
3. REC: 25 years
4. Mission: 25 years
5. Silfab: 25 years

IPS is a SunPower Elite Dealer but also offers all of the other top solar panels to ensure you have the best options that meet your individual needs. System size, system price, overall energy production over time and of course warranty are the most common factors to consider when going solar. Your IPS consultant can help answer all your questions and help you decide what the best options are for your project. To get help please email Sales@solarips or call 1-303-443-0115 and one of our solar consultants can help you.