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Tied for best overall: Canadian Solar and SunPower
The most efficient solar panels available to residential customers come from two companies: SunPower and Canadian Solar. Both companies have solar panels with maximum efficiency ratings of 22.8%, but other companies are close behind. Prioritizing efficiency when you’re shopping for solar panels may not make sense for most people, but if you want to set up the most efficient system, here’s where to start.
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SunPower has long been the leader in solar panel efficiency, and its suite of panels has overall higher efficiency ratings than any other solar panel manufacturer.
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Canadian Solar’s 445-watt model of its HiHero panel is the first solar panel to match SunPower’s efficiency mark. With a temperature coefficient of -0.26%, it’ll keep producing at a high level even when the temperature goes up.
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At -0.24%, REC’s Alpha Pure panel has the best temperature coefficient for panel power. It will lose less production at higher temperatures than other panels.
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The Tiger Neo panel has a 22.27% efficiency rating and a temperature coefficient of -0.29%.
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Panasonic’s Evervolt panel, both the standard and the all-black versions, have an efficiency rating of 22.2%. They have a low temperature coefficient, too, at -0.26%.
Data accurate as of April 2023.
How efficient are solar panels?
It depends on the solar panel. The most efficient solar panels listed above top 22% — meaning they convert more than 22% of the available energy from sunlight into usable electricity. But not all solar panels hit that figure, and the ones you buy might fall well below it. Be sure to examine not just efficiency, but the whole expected output of your solar panel system for the price.
These are just the most efficient residential solar panels. Experimental technology and panels designed for commercial and utility-scale applications can be even more efficient.
What affects solar panel efficiency?
The numbers listed above are obtained under controlled conditions in laboratory tests. In the real world there are plenty of factors that might cause you to receive less energy than a panel’s efficiency rating would suggest.
Sunlight: If the skies are hazy or cloudy, less sunlight will reach your panels and they’ll produce less electricity than expected.
Solar panel angle: You can’t just point your solar panels up and expect them to work their best. There’s an optimal angle and placement for your panels, and it depends largely on where you live.
Other electrical components: Power doesn’t flow straight from the panels into your toaster. Some will be lost along the way through the inverter and other electrical devices.
Temperature: Another factor affecting solar panels efficiency is their temperature. As solar panels get hot, they start to produce less energy, though not at the same rate. A solar panel’s temperature coefficient measures how much worse its production gets for every degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) it gets above 25C (77F).
What type of solar panels are most efficient?
At the moment, the most efficient solar panels available on the residential market are made by SunPower and Canadian Solar. Other companies are catching up, however, and technology continues to improve.
Are more efficient solar panels more expensive?
That means the panel is converting 20% of the energy from the sunlight that hits it into electricity. Of residential solar panels currently available, 20% would rank favorably. The most efficient solar panels on the market are more than 22% efficient.
