With rising energy costs and advancements in solar cell technology, there’s never been a better time to go solar! You have a few decisions to make, though. One of the most important is what brand of solar panels in NY you want to install on your Rockland or Orange County home. Take a look at the top five brands to help you narrow down your options.
SunPower
- Efficiency: SunPower holds the record as the highest efficiency solar panel in the world at 21% efficient. This may not sound impressive, but consider that conventional panels top out at 15% efficient. Plus, SunPower solar panels maintain better efficiency at high temperatures and in partly shaded conditions compared to other brands.
- Warranties: SunPower solar panels in NY are backed by a 25-year power and product warranty. This means you can expect your panels to produce nearly the same amount of electricity as they did on day one a decade and a half down the road! Such a good warranty gives you peace of mind when you have your solar array installed.
- Special feature – long panel life: Conventional solar cells are prone to corrosion and breakage between cells and other connections, but SunPower solar cells offer a unique design that eliminates 85% of the reason cells fail. This means you can expect your solar panels to last well beyond the 25-year warranty period.
Sharp USA
- Efficiency: Sharp manufacturers a solar panel called SunSnap. Each 235-watt module is 14.4% efficient, which is about on par for average solar panels.
- Warranties: This solar panel brand comes with a 25-year limited power output warranty and a 10-year limited workmanship warranty. These warranties give you the assurance you need to feel confident about your choice.
- Special feature – no need for mounting rails: Thanks to a series of drop-in and quarter-turn connections, SunSnap solar panels from Sharp don’t require mounting rails. This allows for faster installation and theft resistance once installed.
SolarWorld
- Efficiency: SolarWorld manufactures solar panels in NY called Sunmodule. This brand features reduced light reflection from the outside and internal light trapping to reflect more light onto the solar cell. These technologies enable the panels to be a fairly impressive 16.4% efficient.
- Warranties: Sunmodule solar panels in NY come with a 25-year linear performance guarantee and a 10-year product workmanship warranty. The performance guarantee includes a promise that nominal power will remain at 97% or higher in the first year and reduce by only 0.7% per year after that. By year 25, you should expect the performance to still be at 80% of the original energy output.
- Special feature – highly tested solar panels: SolarWorld tests and retests their solar panels to help prolong their life, improper their properties and reduce error rates.
Panasonic
- Efficiency: Panasonic manufacturers a solar panel called HIT. These are some of the most efficient panels available today. They use hetero-junction solar cells comprised of amorphous silicon layers that prevent electrons from recombining. This minimizes power loss and allows the panels to achieve up to 19.4% efficiency, depending on the model you choose.
- Warranties: HIT solar panels in NY come with a 25-year power output warranty and 10-year product workmanship warranty.
- Special feature – double-sided modules available: HIT Double maximizes kilowatt-hours by capturing sunlight from both sides of the panel simultaneously. A portion of sunlight passes through the solar panel. This light, along with light reflected off surrounding surfaces, is captured by the back face of the panel. This increases energy production by up to 30% when the solar panels are used in applications such as canopies, carports and porch coverings.
Kyocera Solar
- Efficiency: Kyocera solar panels boast the highest average output of any crystalline module at just over 16% efficient.
- Warranties: Solar panels from Kyocera come with a 25-year limited power output warranty and a 10-year limited PV module warranty of materials and workmanship. The power output warranty includes the promise that output should exceed 90% of the original output after 10 years. Within 25 years, output should still be 80% or higher. If your panels don’t achieve these rates, Kyocera will repair the PV modules or deliver additional modules to replace the missing power output.
- Special feature – large solar cells: The multicrystalline KD product series utilize solar cells measuring 156mm2 to produce a higher power output per module. Plus, the KU product series incorporates more modules per string, reducing material and labor costs by up to 20%, which decreases costs for you.
Even when comparing the top five solar panels in NY, it’s clear that SunPower are among the best solar panels out there, especially because they boast the highest efficiency in the industry. If you’re serious about saving with solar, choose an installer that offers SunPower solar panels.
