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Today''s Homeowner exists to help you maintain or improve your home safely and effectively. We uphold strict editorial standards and carefully vet the advice and resources referenced in our articles. Click below to learn more about our review process and how we earn money.
Converting your home to renewable energy by installing a rooftop solar panel array is a major financial commitment for most homeowners. Anything you can do to lower the cost goes a long way to making it easier to take the leap and start paying your utility company less money each month. But how do you know which cheap solar panels are a good deal and which are too cheap to be worth it?
Just because a manufacturer makes affordable panels doesn''t mean its products are low quality. Here are my picks for the top-rated cheap solar panel manufacturers:
Purchasing low-cost solar panels requires a bit more attention to detail than buying high-quality panels since there are more low-quality options you need to avoid if you want a good system. Here are the four main things to look for when shopping for cheap solar panels:
There are tons of manufacturers that make affordable solar panels, which makes it difficult to figure out which companies are worth your time and which make lower-quality panels. Overall, you can''t go wrong with Qcells or LONGi. Both companies make high-quality, affordable panels for home solar use.
Before we dive in, I should mention that some brands — notably Panasonic, LG, and Tesla — no longer make their own panels. You might see these brands in other articles that have outdated information.
The table below provides a high-level look at my picks for the top seven cheap solar panel manufacturers.
QCells is known for being one of the more affordable residential solar panel brands, so it''s a great choice for homeowners looking to switch to solar on a budget. The company is a tier 1 manufacturer that focuses on making high-quality, low-cost monocrystalline panels. Qcells is operated by the South Korean company Hanwha.
Qcells is the de facto standard for low-cost home solar panels. The company manages to produce high-performance photovoltaic (PV) panels at an incredible price point, taking advantage of its affordable manufacturing setup in South Korea.
Qcells''s panels provide an excellent balance between cost and performance. The company produces solar PV panels that cover a range of efficiency ratings between 19.6% and 21.2%, giving you a variety of price points and performance levels to choose from.
The company''s panels are also known for being extremely durable and are capable of withstanding higher-than-average wind speeds, snow loads, and high temperatures. Qcells stands behind its products with a 25-year equipment and performance warranty, which guarantees that your panels'' efficiency won''t drop below 86% of their initial value.
Even though Qcells is my pick for the best overall cheap solar panel manufacturer, there are some things I don''t love about it.
The company doesn''t make polycrystalline solar panels, which are more affordable than monocrystalline solar panels. Polycrystalline panels are less efficient than monocrystalline panels, but that''s a tradeoff many homeowners are willing to make to save some money.
I also would like the performance guarantee to be better. Qcells guarantees that its panels retain at least 86% of their initial efficiency, which is good, but still pales in comparison to the 92% guarantee offered by premium brands like Maxeon from SunPower.
Here''s a quick look at the two residential solar panel options Qcells offers to residential customers:
Qcells''s warranty is excellent, offering 25 years'' worth of protection for equipment and performance. Its performance guarantee, in particular, is very good and guarantees that your panels will retain 86% of their initial efficiency. For comparison, 80% is the norm throughout the industry.
Many solar installation companies throughout the country install Qcells panels, so it shouldn''t be too hard to find a local installer that offers Qcells'' products. Notably, Tesla started installing Qcells panels instead of its own Tesla brand solar panels as of 2022.
LONGi''s Hi-Mo series of panels have impressive specs, especially given their prices. The efficiency ratings on the Hi-MO 4 through Hi-MO 6 series of panels fall between 20.9% and 22.6%, making them some of the most efficient panels on the market.
LONGi doesn''t skimp on high-tech features to keep its costs down. Its Hi-MO 4 panels come with anti-LID (light induced degradation) and anti-PID (potential induced degradation) features, giving them a better-than-average first-year degradation of under 2% and a steady degradation of just 0.45% per year from the second year onward.
A less important point is that LONGi''s panels look good on your roof. Many budget solar panels are ugly and bulky, while LONGi''s panels come in sleek black designs that help them look good while they save you money on your electricity bill.
One downside to choosing a LONGi panel is that its warranty isn''t great for its more affordable panels. LONGi only covers its cheapest Hi-MO 4 panels for 12 years, which is well below the average coverage length of 25 years. It does offer slightly longer 15-year warranties on its higher-end panels, but those are more expensive.
LONGi''s Hi-MO 4 is its cheapest residential solar panel, but the company also offers two higher-performance models for people who don''t mind paying a bit more for better performance.
LONGi''s product warranties aren''t great. The Hi-MO 4 and 5 come with 12-year equipment warranties, while the higher-quality Hi-MO 6 models come with a 15-year product warranty. Both warranty terms fall short of the industry average of 25 years.
Many local solar companies install LONGi panels, so you shouldn''t have much difficulty finding an installer near you that carries the company’s products.
JinkoSolar''s panels cost just $2.25 per watt for its more affordable models, which is significantly less than the overall average cost per watt of $2.66. Not all of JinkoSolar''s panels are affordable, so I''m going to focus most of what I say here on the company''s Eagle family of models.
Despite their lower-than-average cost, JinkoSolar''s solar panels have respectable efficiency ratings that fall between 19.8% and 21.1%, with the more affordable models obviously falling near the bottom of this range.
The biggest drawback to JinkoSolar''s affordable solar panels is that they aren''t very efficient. Compared with the affordable options from companies like Qcells and LONGi, JinkoSolar''s panels are significantly less efficient. Even though they''re also more affordable, the lower efficiency ratings will cost you some savings over the course of your system''s lifetime.
JinkoSolar''s warranty is another downside. The company''s budget solar panels come with 12-year warranties, which is less than half of the 25 years you get from most companies.
JinkoSolar''s Eagle Continental model is the most affordable panel it carries, but I''ll also briefly cover two of its more expensive options to offer points of comparison.
JinkoSolar''s 12-year product warranty is one of its glaring weak points, in my opinion. The company''s power degradation policy guarantees that its panels won''t drop below 80.7% after 25 years, which is right in line with the industry-wide average.
Like Qcells and LONGi, JinkoSolar panels are installed by local solar providers throughout the country, so you don''t have to buy them directly through the company.
The main reason I chose Canadian Solar is for its extensive selection of low-cost options. The company''s HiKu line of solar panels tops out at 19.4% efficiency and costs an average of $2.70 per watt, giving it a good balance between price and performance.
Another great thing about Canadian Solar is that it offers higher capacity panels at more affordable prices than most other manufacturers. You can get absolutely massive 465-watt panels from Canadian Solar at a reasonable price, which makes the company a great option for people with smaller roofs.
Unfortunately, Canadian Solar''s budget options aren''t very efficient. The most affordable HiKu line of panels is comprised of polycrystalline designs, which are inherently less efficient than monocrystalline designs. This isn''t a huge deal if you live somewhere with abundant sunshine, but it can pose a problem for people who live in less sunny places.
Canadian Solar''s warranty is also only 12 years, which doesn''t instill a lot of confidence that the company has faith in its panels’ longevity.
Canadian Solar has the best selection of cheap solar panels of any manufacturer on this list. Here''s a quick look at some of its more attractive low-cost panels.
Canadian Solar''s warranty covers equipment for just 12 years on its less expensive models. Some of the company''s premium options come with a 25-year equipment warranty, but they cost significantly more than the budget HiKu family of models.
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