If I want to buy a toaster oven, I immediately search “best toaster oven 2024”, read a few reviews, and buy something from there. Is it the best toaster oven? Probably not, but it’ll be good enough, and I’ll be confident in my decision. While we could do that with solar panels and recommend just the products we sell, I’d rather offer more than that, and share some of what I’ve learned selling & installing solar in Virginia over the last decade.
The first thing I’ll share is that too much emphasis is put on choosing just the solar panel itself. Generally speaking, panels are the most reliable part of a solar system, even when using some of the cheaper products. So while we’ll get into what makes the “best” solar panel, I would highly highly recommend keeping sight of the fact that a system is only as good as its weakest link– And in most cases, that weakest link would be the inverter or the installation quality.
I’ll cover what makes a panel better than others, but keep in mind that the entire system needs to be high quality, and hopefully not at a prohibitive cost. Is it worth paying 2x the cost for the best components? Probably not. Is it worth paying 15% more? Probably so.
Ok, I’ve rambled enough, let’s jump into it.
What is the best residential solar panel?
The best solar panel is going to be the panel that has:
- The strongest warranty
- High reliability
- Low degradation
- High power output
- Fits your roof well
- Doesn’t require you to sell a kidney to get it
Warranty
In terms of warranty, you should always lean towards established brands that have been in the market for years. REC, and QCELLs are the standard these days in terms of product and performance warranties. In 2024, most premium panels come with 25-year product warranties and performance guarantees, while REC also has a 25-year labor warranty ensuring you get peace of mind over the lifespan of your system. At Virtue, we also have a 25-year service warranty on our residential systems, in addition to all the solar manufacturer warranties.
Want to read more? Check out our article on understanding solar warranties.
While we wouldn’t stop anyone from using more budget-friendly panels like Jinko, Canadian Solar, or Hyundai, we don’t recommend panel brands that are newer to market—many new brands entered the market during the Covid-19 supply shortages, and their long-term reliability has yet to be proven.
Reliability
Reliability is one of the biggest factors to consider. Solar panels are a long-term investment, and you want to choose a product with low failure rates and a proven track record. Brands like REC and QCELLs have consistently shown high reliability with minimal reports of failure in the field. REC touts a failure rate of only 0.0001%, which seems hard to believe, but we have yet to see evidence otherwise. This is significantly lower than the industry average of 0.05%
Low Degradation
Over time, solar panels naturally lose efficiency, but panels with low degradation rates will lose LESS power, meaning they will save you more money over time. Since a 10kW system with low degradation will produce more energy over time than a 10kW system with high degradation, this is an important aspect to pay attention to.
Higher-end brands tend to have minimal degradation, ensuring that their panels still produce more than 90% of their original output after 25-30 years, meaning more long-term energy production. When looking at datasheets, low degradation is often reflected in the production guarantee. Do they guarantee 80% output at 25 years? 85%? 90%? And so forth.
High Power Output
The power output of a solar panel, measured in watts (W), refers to how much electricity it can generate under optimal conditions. In 2024, many residential panels offer outputs ranging from 400W to 460W, which is a big leap from previous years.
While high-output panels are appealing, it’s essential to consider that power output alone doesn’t tell the whole story. High-wattage panels can still be inefficient, they would just be larger in size. The most efficient residential panels tend to be over 22% efficient, and while that shouldn’t be a deal-breaker, having more efficient panels tends to mean that you are getting the latest model, and most recent solar panels on the market.
Cost
Cost is always a significant consideration. For years, EnergySage listed high-performance Panasonic panels as the “best” panel you could buy, but they never factored in the cost. Sure, it was one of the best on paper, but it literally cost twice as much as the competition. It was rarely installed due to prohibitive costs, and we felt many customers were being misled because the value of the panel wasn’t being accurately weighed.
While it’s tempting to go for the highest-performing panel, we encourage you to keep the value and quality of the entire system in mind. As of writing, we usually recommend REC panels because they offer great warranties and performance, but still come in at a reasonable price. In general we recommend you get the best equipment available, so long as the strong warranties and reliability don’t outweigh the cost.
Conclusion
In 2024, the best home solar panel depends on your specific needs—roof size, budget, and long-term energy goals. If you’re looking for high efficiency and the best warranty, REC is a great option. If lower upfront cost is a bigger factor, panels from QCELLs, Trina, or Jinko might be a better fit.
We recommend weighing the different factors above, and making sure that the panel is paired with a reliable inverter (read What’s the Best Solar Inverter in 2024?), along with quality installation and service. We are central Virginia’s local solar installer, so if you have questions or need an installer, get in touch!
