Solar Panels Comparison: Types & Brands

On this page

• • How do Solar Panels work?
  • Different Types of Solar Panels
  • Three tests to determine if a Solar Panel brand is good
  • Industry Standards for Warranties
  • How much do Solar Panels cost?

How do Solar Panels work?

Through the photovoltaic effect solar panels convert sunlight in direct current (DC) electricity. Solar panels typically have 60 or 72 ‘cells’ which contain silicon. Silicon is the active element in a solar panel which will generate surplus electrons depending on the length of time and intensity of the sun irradiance it receives. The solar cells are encased in glass in groups of 60 or 72 with a backing sheet and are usually framed with aluminium to create a solar panel.

Different Types of Solar Panels

The most common panel types are monocrystalline and polycrystalline. These technologies have been around for a number of years and are proven in the Australian climate. When it comes to finding the best solar system for your needs, solar panels using newer technology (see below table) can offer benefits by increasing the energy generated in various conditions. Note that some of these newer technologies come at a cost premium as they are not produce at the same scale as monocrystalline and polycrystalline yet.

Polycrystalline	Polycrystalline panels (sometimes called Multicrystalline) use silicon crystal composed of many small grains with no rules between the arrangement of the grains within a solar cell. They appear perfectly rectangular with no rounded or squared edges
Monocrystalline	Monocrystalline panels are easy to identify as they typically have a diamond shaped external colouring indicating a high-purity silicon (See image below). These panels utilise single large grains of crystal to create each silicon module. These solar cells are higher efficiency than Polycrystalline.
Mono PERC Solar Panels	Invented by the UNSW, PERC panels have changed the cell structure of Solar Modules to improve the efficiency leading to greater power per square metre.
Bifacial Solar Panels	Bifacial solar panels are designed to capture light from the underside of the panel as well. They are typically installed on tilt frames where reflective roof sheeting can ‘bounce’ some sunlight back towards the bottom of the panel increasing the generated energy.
Frameless Solar Panels	Typically solar panels come with an aluminium frame. Frameless panels use heavy duty glass to avoid this requirement and reduce the dust build up that occurs over time along the framing.
Split Cell (Half Cut) Solar Panels	Splitting a solar cell in half has the effect of halfing the output but dividing the resistance by 4. This means with some extra engineering it is possible to generate 10-20% more energy from these panels with the same amount of silicon and roof space.

Three tests to determine if a Solar Panel brand is good

Our main advice is do not take any individuals (friend, installer, neighbour) opinion on what is a good solar panel brand and look at the independent tests and rankings for solar panels. To determine if the panel you have been quoted is a good one – first see if the brand appears on the below 2 lists (and read what the list means) and then head to their website and understand their warranty claim process.

If however you’re short of time and want to get to the point, we’ve written an article on the 10 Best Solar Panels in Australia 2021.

This ranking reflects the opinion of Solar Choice only and we encourage readers to do their own research and come to their own conclusions.

Test 1 – Tier One Ranking

The infamous tier 1 ranking is NOT a measure of Solar Panel quality in any way. It is simply an indication of the bankability of the manufacturer based on publicly released information on the financial health the company. This should give you an idea if the company is a large, well-known manufacturer.

Tier 1 Ranking 2020 – Q4

Panel	Capacity MW	Panel	Capacity MW
LONGi	35,200	Seraphim	5,500
Jinko	27,500	Jolywood	3,300
Trina	23,650	SunPower	3,080
JA Solar	16,500	LG	2,640
Canadian	15,400	Phono	2,200
Risen	13,860	REC Group	1,980
Q CELLS	11,770	ET Solar	1,760
Suntech	11,000	Ulica	1,100
Talesun	7,700	Hyundai	540
Eging	5,720	Leapton	660
ZNShine	5,500

* Note some panels have been left out that are not sold in Australia based on the CEC Approved Product List

Test 2 – Is the panel a PV Evolution Labs Top Performer?

PV Evolution Labs have in partnership with DNV GL been independently testing Solar Panels reliability since 2014. It is a voluntary test which manufacturers have to pay to be a part of, but is considered internationally as an excellent indication of Solar Panel quality.

Their latest report released in May 2021 lists solar panels from the following manufacturers as Top Performers:

Test	Description	Top Performers 2021
Thermal Cycling	Panels endure 600 cycles from -40°C to 85°C	Astronergy	ET Solar	GCL
		Hyundai	Jinko	LONGi
		SunPower	Phono Solar	Q CELLS
		REC Group	Seraphim
Damp Heat	Panels are placed in 85°C temperature with 85% humidity for 2,000 hours	ET Solar	GCL	Hyundai
		JA Solar	LG	LONGi
		SunPower	Q CELLS	REC Group
		Seraphim	Talesun	VSUN
Mechanical Stress Sequence	Panels are subjected to mechanical loads and thermal cycling to propogate cracks.	ET Solar	Jinko	LG
		LONGi	SunPower	Phono Solar
		Q CELLS	Seraphim
Potential-Induced Degradation (PID)	Panels loaded to max voltage applied with heat and humidity to identify possible degradation	ET Solar	JA Solar	Jinko
		Jolywood	LG	LONGi
		SunPower	Phono Solar	Q CELLS
		REC Group	Risen Energy	Talesun
LID + LETID	Light induced degration is tested using specialised equipment involving light soaking and flash testing	Astronergy	ET Solar	Hyundai
		JA Solar	Jinko	Jolywood
		LG	LONGi	SunPower
		Phono Solar	Q CELLS	REC Group
		Risen Energy	Talesun	Trina Solar
PAN Performance	This test assesses the amount of energy a panel will produce in a matrix of operating conditions	Astronergy	ET Solar	GCL
		LONGi	Seraphim

* Note some panels have been left out of the above table that are not sold in Australia based on the CEC Approved Product List

You can download their full report here for free

Test 3 – Does the manufacturer have an Australian office and easy warranty claim process?

Most solar panel manufacturers entering the Australian market, first setup their distribution channels and worry about customer service later. This has led to many unhappy customers who are left trying to contact Chinese head offices to claim on their 10-year product warranty.

Relying on your solar installer is not always an option as we’ve seen many residential solar installers (including the large ones) go out of business well within the lifetime of the systems they are installing.

To make sure you have options to claim warranty, Solar Choice recommends:

1. Visit the Solar Panel manufacturers website
2. Make sure they have an Australian office with an office number you can call
3. Make sure the warranty claim process is clearly outlined on their website

Solar Panel Brand	Product Warranty	Australian Office
Astronergy	12 years	Yes
Canadian Solar	12-15 years	Yes
EGing	10 years	No
ET Solar	10 years	No
GCL	12 years	No
Hanwha Q Cells	12-25 years	Yes
JA Solar	12 years	No
Jinko Solar	12-25 years	Yes
LG	15-25 years	Yes
LONGi Solar	12 years	Yes
REC Group	10-20 years	Yes
Risen Energy	12 years	Yes
Seraphim Energy	10-15 years	No
SunPower	25 years	Yes
SunTech	15 years	Yes
Trina Solar	10-12 years	Yes
Vikram Solar	10-12 years	No
Winaico Solar	15-25 years	Yes
ZNShine	12 years	Yes

 

 

Industry Standards for Warranties

For solar panels there is now an internationally accepted standard for the length of warranties:

1. Performance warranty of 25 years to output of 80% of nameplate wattage
2. Product warranty of 10 years covering product defects

While you never see solar panel warranties with shorter than “25 & 10”, each manufacturer has a different warranty agreement and claims process. Generally speaking dealing with a reputable solar panel brand will ensure that you are receiving fair and reasonable warranty terms.

Some solar panel manufacturers have chosen to differentiate themselves from the masses by offering up to 25 year product warranties and 30 year performance warranties. Typically these come with considerable extra cost – so the choice is with the consumer whether they want to spend more for a ‘BMW’ or whether they are happy with a ‘Ford Falcon’.

The Wholesale Cost of Solar Panels

Across utility scale Solar PV projects in Australia, the market for large corporates buying solar power has plummeted to below 5c per kWh ($50 per MWh) reflecting increasing economies of scale of both the manufacturers and the construction companies. While your local solar installer doesn’t have access to the same rates for solar equipment they passed on cost benefits from the continued increase in efficiencies in manufacturing facilities.

Wholesale rates for solar panels are not published and are dependent on manufacturer, purchase power, the Australian Dollar and other market factors. As a ballpark guide buying directly from wholesalers costs for most cost-effective brands are currently between AUD$0.35 to AUD$0.50 per watt and can be less than $0.30 if buying at scale from manufacturers.

The best and fairest guide we can give you for the average costs of Solar in Australia are published monthly in the Solar Price Index and is split by size and by Australian state.

 

For those researching for independent information regarding the best solar panels in Australia, use Solar Choice.