A Homeowners Guide to Finding the Highest Quality Solar Panels 

Getting a solar-powered system is growing more and more popular these days. The growing popularity of solar-powered systems has increased the demand for everything that is involved in a solar-powered system. Solar panels are one of the most vital aspects of a solar-powered system. As you begin researching solar panels and reading the solar panel reviews, it’s important to look at the efficiency of a solar panel, the solar panel ratings, how durable the solar panels are, and the solar panel manufacturer's assurances in your decision.

Criteria for Selecting Solar Panels With Photovoltaic Cells

When looking at solar panels with photovoltaic cells you aren’t going to need to know exactly how the solar panels convert sunlight into solar electricity to decide on what solar panels you want for your solar panel installation. But, the key to determining how much a solar-powered system is going to save you, is going to determine how well your solar panels are going to perform.

There are a few different factors that are going to influence how effective your solar panels are going to be when it comes to converting sunlight into solar electricity.

Solar Panels Quality Checklist:

- The Efficiency of a Solar Panel.

- The Solar Panels Ratings.

- The Durability of the Solar Panels.

- The Solar Panels Quality.

- The Solar Panels Performance.

- The Manufacturer of the Solar Panels.

Here are the four most important factors to understand when it comes to evaluating which solar panels are going to best for your solar panel installation.

The Solar Panels Power Ratings

All solar panels are going to receive a nameplate solar power rating that will indicate the amount of solar power that they will produce under the industry-standard test conditions. Most of the solar panels that are on the market are going to have a solar power rating in the range of 200 to 350 watts. The higher the solar power rating means the solar panels are going to be more effective at producing solar power.

The nameplate rating represents the solar power output under the ideal conditions, which most of the solar panel installations aren’t going to experience for more than a few moments at a time. But, the ratings of the solar panels are useful as a way to make consistent comparisons between the solar panels.

The nameplate power ratings are going to be one of the factors that are going to determine how much solar power your solar panels are going to produce, but other factors can also influence solar electricity generation.

The Solar Power Tolerance

As solar panels are being manufactured, some unavoidable variations that impact power output are introduced. Solar power tolerance indicates how the solar power output of the solar panels may differ from the nameplate rating. They are typically expressed as a plus-or-minus percentage. An example, a 250-watt solar panel that has a +/=5% solar power tolerance could produce anywhere from 237.5 watts to 262.5 watts under ideal conditions (as 12.5 watts is 5% of 250 watts). A narrower solar power tolerance range is preferable to a wider one because it represents more certainty. Solar power tolerances should be viewed in tandem with the ratings of the solar panels.

The Efficiency of a Solar Panel

The efficiency of a solar panel is going to represent how effectively the solar panels can convert solar radiation into solar electricity. The solar panels with the highest efficiency of a solar panel that is commercially available today have an efficiency of a solar panel rating of 23%.

The higher the efficiency of a solar panel rating means that the solar panels are going to produce more kilowatt-hours of energy per watt of solar power capacity. Because one solar panel with high efficiency can generate more solar electricity than a similarly sized solar panel with a standard with the standard efficiency of a solar panel rating, the efficiency of a solar panel is particularly important if you have limited roof space and large energy bills.

The Solar Panels Temperature Coefficient 

Although solar panels are designed to love the sun, high heat can decrease a solar panel’s capacity to generate solar power. The temperature coefficient quantifying how a solar panel to power capacity decreases at temperatures that are higher than 77°F, which is the standard temperature where tests are performed.

For example, many standard grade solar panels may produce 1 percent less solar electricity for every 4°F temperature increase that is above 77°F. Solar panels that have less sensitive temperature coefficients will perform better over the long term. Check the solar panel's ratings and reviews carefully for the temperature coefficient, particularly if you live in hotter parts of the country.

The Solar Panels Quality

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has created quality assurance standards for the manufacturing industry known as the ISO 9000 series. Solar panel manufacturers can be certified ISO 9000-compliant to indicate that they meet those standards. While the lack of ISO certification isn’t necessarily going to be an indicator of an inferior product, buying from a certified manufacturer is going to be an indicator of quality.