When homeowners are considering a solar panel installation, they will typically do some research on the solar-powered system that they are interested in as well as the solar panels that are going to produce the most solar electricity.

The Solar Companies With the Highest Efficiency

When researching solar panels one of the first things that homeowners are going to want to know is how to compare efficiency metrics for the different solar companies. The efficiency of a solar panel is one useful metric that is used to determine how much solar energy the solar panels are going to produce compared to other solar panels that are on the market.

The Efficiency of a Solar Panel: What Homeowners Need to Know

To put it simply, the efficiency of a solar (which is expressed as a percentage) quantifies the ability that solar panels have to convert sunlight into solar electricity. If given the same amount of sunlight for shining for the same amount of time on two solar panels that have a different efficiency of solar panel ratings, the more efficient solar panels are going to produce more solar electricity than the less efficient solar panels.  

To put it practically, for two solar panels that are the same physical size, of one of the solar panels have a 21% efficiency of a solar panel rating and the other one has a 14% efficiency of a solar panel rating, the solar panel that has a 21% efficiency is going to produce 50% more kilowatt-hours (kWh) of solar electricity under the same conditions as the solar panels that have a 14% efficiency of a solar panel. Therefore maximizing the energy use and bill savings is heavily reliant on having the sole of the top-tier efficiency of solar panel ratings.

There are many consumers and people who are on the solar energy industry to consider the efficiency of a solar panel to be the most important criterion, it is not the only one to consider while you are evaluating whether or not to get a solar panel installation. The efficiency of a solar panel is going to relate to the ability that the solar panels have to convert solar energy at a low cost and high supply rate.   

How Efficient Are Solar Panels?

Most solar panels have an efficiency between 15% and 20%, with outliers on either side. The high-quality solar panels can exceed 22% efficiency of a solar panel in some cases (some even reach 23%!), the majority of the solar panels with photovoltaic cells don’t have higher than 20% efficiency of a solar panel.

The Solar Panels With the Highest Efficiency: The Top 5

Here are the top five best solar companies in 2019 that are ranked based on the highest efficiency of a solar panel they have an offered:

- SunPower (22.8%)

- LG (21.7%)

- RECSolar (21.7%)

- Panasonic (20.3%)

- Silfab (20.0%)

The solar panels with the highest efficiency of a solar panel on the market today have efficiency ratings that are as high as 22.8%, whereas most of the majority of solar panels are ranging from 15% to 17% efficiency of a solar panel rating. SunPower solar panels are known for having the highest efficiency of a solar panel that is available on the market. But along with having the highest efficiency of a solar panel, the also have the highest prices.

Maximum Production or Maximum Offset: If a homeowners goal is to maximize the amount of solar electricity that their solar-powered system is producing or they want to ensure that they are buying the least amount of the electricity from the utility, but the amount of the roof space that is available to install the solar panels is limited in size, the homeowner may choose to get solar panels with the higher efficiency of a solar panel for their solar panel installation. This is going to ensure that homeowners are getting the maximum amount of solar electricity production from their solar-powered system.

The Cost vs. Value: The higher the efficiency of a solar panel typically rends to cost more than their less efficient counterparts. Homeowners may want to analyze whether the upfront cost difference is justified by the increased saving achieved by generating more solar electricity over the lifespan of the solar-powered system. Increased solar electricity production means that you have to buy less power from your utility and in some states, you may also generate higher SREC income.

How Efficient Are Solar Panels? The Tables

Listed below are the different views of the efficient of a solar panel characteristics of the leading manufacturers who are selling solar panels in the United States. Most of the solar panels manufacturers to produce several different modules of solar panels that are ranging in the efficiency of a solar panel department. The solar companies that are leaders in this category is going to be those who are utilizing the high-efficiency photovoltaic cells like LG and SunPower, who have an ongoing battle to claim the title for the world leader in the efficiency of a solar panel department, and they are both widely considered to be a top solar panel brand on the market for the efficiency of a solar panel. But, it is extremely important to understand the difference between setting the maximum efficiency of a solar panel record and maintaining a strong and consistent average solar energy efficiency ratings. Therefore, in the table below it is going to break down the best ways to compare the different options for solar panels by module efficiency metrics.

Efficiency of a Solar Panel Rating of Solar Panels by Manufacturer