The solar panel market is a competitive one, with plenty of unfamiliar brands offering fairly similar products. We’ve put together this guide to help guide you through the best choices.
We have chosen the DMEGC Infinity as our top pick because of its combination of good price and long life.
Most panels are guaranteed for 25 years and offer similar power output, size, efficiency and looks. So most of our judgement is weighted towards cost and degradation, which describes how much power the cells will provide after a number of years. The higher the percentage, the better.
Much of your decision will depend on which installers you choose to go with, as they will have brands they prefer to buy from, if only to make use of bulk purchasing.
As you do your research, you will see a lot of Chinese names you might not be familiar with. But a number of these are big brands in the clean energy world, with good track records of quality and durability, as we shall see below.
Most panels have a life span of at least 30 years, and if you are going to the trouble of putting up scaffolding and having them installed on your roof, then these are the ones to go for since installation is usually the largest part of the cost of solar panels. You won’t want to have to replace them in a hurry.
A boom in commercial panels used in solar farms, which power up to five per cent of the UK grid, means that the technology has come on leaps and bounds in recent years as more money is poured into developing solar panels that are cheaper to buy.
When choosing the best solar panel, it’s good to weigh up the full cost of solar panel installation as well as the panel cost itself, since you’ll probably need to pay for fitting the purchase of other equipment to connect your shiny new panels to your home electricity mains.
Best solar panels at a glance
Panel |
Price, installed |
Efficiency |
Wattage per panel |
Type |
Made in |
Degradation |
Warranty |
DMEGC Infinity |
£795 to £1,195 per kW |
23 per cent |
440-460W |
N-Type |
China and Indonesia |
87.4 per cent after 30 years |
25 years |
REA Fusion2 Solar Panel |
£900 - £1000 per kW |
24 per cent |
450W |
N-Type |
Australia |
90.3 per cent after 30 years |
25 years |
Perlight Black Grid |
£895 to £1,195 per kW |
26 per cent |
500W |
N-Type | China |
87.4 per cent after 30 years |
30 years |
Aiko Neostar |
£1250 per kW |
23 per cent |
460W |
N-Type |
China |
88.90 per cent after 30 years |
25 years |
Jinko Tiger |
£1250 per kW | 22 per cent |
440W |
N-Type |
China, Malaysia, US, Vietnam |
87.4 per cent after 30 years |
25 years |
Best solar panel overall: DMEGC Infinity
- Price, installed: £795 to £1,195 per kW
- Efficiency: 23 per cent
- Wattage per panel: 440-460W
- Type: N-Type
- Made in: China and Indonesia
- Degradation: 87.4 per cent after 30 years
- Warranty: 25 years for the product itself, 30 years for the degradation figure
China’s DMEGC, part of the Hengdian Group conglomerate, could be the biggest energy company you’ve never heard of. It’s shipped more than 50 gigawatts of solar panels since its founding in 1980. That’s a lot – the UK’s average power demand last year was about 30GW.
It is one of the earliest solar panel manufacturers and this long track record means it has plenty of experience in making a quality product.
The company also walks the walk when it comes to green energy. Last year, it revealed three of its manufacturing bases in China were certified by testing firm TUV SUD as using 100 per cent green energy. DMEGC aims to be carbon neutral by 2050.
DMEGC is also considered a Tier-1 manufacturer, an industry term for the biggest and longest-running solar panel makers, which have solid financial strength. The status is not a be-all and end-all for solar panel buyers but does indicate that a company has a good chance of honouring its guarantees and that its manufacturing processes are solid, which is useful bearing in mind how long the panels need to last.
This solar panel provides a good compromise between power output, long warranty and decent power longevity, offering more than 87 per cent of its box-fresh output after 30 years.
The model can also come in at the lower end of the cost for solar panels, depending on the fitting cost. This combination of lower price and long life makes it our top pick.
Other features include anti-glare coatings, which mean the panels are less likely to annoy neighbours or passers by. This could be important if you live in a valley with roads coming in from above the property and you don’t want to dazzle drivers on sunny days.
Even if this is not a concern, panels which reflect light are not using it for power, which is to be avoided.
As with other panels on the list, the manufacturer boasts they have good performance in low light conditions – useful for gloomier winter days – and a top safety record.
They can also perform well if temperatures rise above 25 degrees centigrade.
The panels have fairly typical dimensions of 1.76m by 1.13m with a depth of 3cm. They weigh 24.5kg apiece.
Pricing will vary, but as with other reviews, we include an average cost for the panels when installed. The biggest cost is for installation, so don’t focus too much on the cost of panels alone. Instead, consider the overall cost.
Pros:
- Lower price
- Long useable life
- Strong guarantee from a company with a long track record
Cons:
- There are cells with better degradation, topping 90 per cent
- There are cells with better efficiency
Being able to trust in the longevity of a company that has been around as long as DMEGC, their skills in electrical manufacturing and as a Tier-1 solar manufacturer, gives us peace of mind that we are supplying our customers with quality
Best solar panel for quality: REA Fusion 2 Solar Panel
- Price, installed: £900 - £1000 per kW
- Efficiency: 24 per cent
- Wattage per panel: 450W
- Type: N-Type
- Made in: Australia
- Degradation: 90.3 per cent after 30 years
- Warranty: 25 years for the product itself, 30 years for the degradation figure
This is our choice for the best solar panel for efficiency and maintaining power over the long run.
REA Power is a smaller company, based in Australia, making it an unusual entrant in a list dominated by Chinese brands.
REA panels can use micro inverters fitted to each panel. Inverters turn the direct current that the panels provide into alternating current which your home ring main uses. Many setups use one centralised inverter and they usually require a certain amount of power to get going, meaning that some setups can’t make use of low light conditions to generate power.
REA says that its micro inverters, fitted to every panel, are more efficient in generating power on darker days. It also means that an inverter failure does not affect the rest of the array. The inverters will also benefit from the guarantee the panels get – 25 years.
The panels are double sided – sunlight can be absorbed on both sides. When it will be fitted to your roof, why bother? Well, some light will pass through the panel, reflect off your roof and enter through the back. Panels with this feature can generate up to 20 per cent more energy.
The company also sponsors various initiatives including a solar recycling scheme, which aims to fix old panels and keep them working rather than being sent to landfill.
If you are having solar panels fitted, they are probably going on your roof, so you will need scaffolding and specialists to come along to put them there. Therefore, you may want the best in an effort to avoid having to foot repair bills or replacement costs. You may also want the maximum power available for a smaller roof.
Engineered in Australia, the manufacturers say these cells are built to last and they top our chart for efficiency and degradation.
They also have a minimalist all-black design, which is useful if you want to keep your solar installation low-profile.
REA says its cells also have separate zones which means that less power is lost should part of the array end up in the share from trees, clouds or other buildings. And they make use of lower AC voltage for safety reasons.
Due to expense these panels do not snag the top spot in our list, but if you are happy with the price they are a good choice.
The panels measure 1.72m by 1.13m and are 3cm thick. They weigh 24kg each.
Pros:
- Best efficiency
- Best longevity – more than 90 per cent power after 30 years
- Australian engineering
Cons:
- Expensive
REA Fusion panels combine advanced N-Type and HJT cell technologies, offering the best of both worlds: N-Type cells minimise long-term efficiency degradation, while HJT (Heterojunction Technology) enhances performance in low-light conditions. This powerful combination makes the Fusion 2 the go-to choice for the UK market – delivering maximum generation, even in our famously gloomy climate
Best for long warranty: Perlight Black Grid
- Price, installed: £895 to £1,195 per kW
- Efficiency: 26 per cent
- Wattage per panel: 500W
- Type: N-Type
- Made in: China
- Degradation: 87.4 per cent after 30 years
- Warranty: 30 years
Perlight is another Chinese maker of solar panels, starting life in 2006. These panels are an excellent choice for those wanting a long warranty – the company offers 30 years compared to the usual 25.
This extended guarantee could give you more comfort if you expect to have to pay the panels off over a long period of time or you simply want to leave them there for as long as possible, which bearing in mind the fitting cost could be a good idea.
On the other hand, you could take the view that a panel lasting 25 years will probably go the extra distance without the guarantee.
The model also offers better efficiency and a higher wattage than the other panels on our list. The only thing letting it down is its somewhat pedestrian degradation figure, otherwise it would be further up our ranking.
The company is also somewhat shy about filing facts about itself compared to its competitors, although it passes all the necessary regulatory hurdles.
The panels do offer a higher wattage and will continue pumping out 87 per cent of their factory-fresh power after 30 years, making it a very good choice.
Like REA, Perlight is not a Tier-1 manufacturer. But it has a long track record, meaning you should expect good performance for years to come, and it ships to 100 countries.
The panels also have high pressure resistance, meaning the should be able to withstand the bumps, bangs and weather that 30 years on a roof will throw at them.
Like nearly every panel on this list, these are made in China. The Chinese government has thrown many subsidies at clean power companies in recent years. This means that the last 20 years has seen a boom in Chinese solar panel making. The country now has a massive technological advantage over other nations, as well as a large manufacturing base.
Panel making eats up a lot of silicon, and China has a big silicon refining industry, which also helps firms make panels cheaply there.
Since 2000, solar panels themselves have fallen in price per unit of power output by about 90 per cent because of technological leaps in their efficiency, largely in China. But fitting costs have risen in line with wages and other inflationary pressures since then, so bear this in mind when looking at prices. The panels will be cheaper, but labour and scaffolding less so.
Pros:
- Best warranty
- High power
Cons:
- Better longevity available elsewhere
A 30-year product warranty is hard to come by in any product but Perlight offers one of the longest warranties available in the market
Best for higher wattage per panel: Aiko Neostar
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- Price, installed: £1,250 per kW
- Efficiency: 23 per cent
- Wattage per panel: 460W
- Type: N-Type
- Made in: China
- Degradation: 88.9 per cent after 30 years
- Warranty: 25 years for the product itself, 30 years for the degradation figure
China has invested billions of pounds into making cheap solar cells, and the country’s Aiko Neostar range offers amongst the best power output, as well as a long warranty and very respectable efficiency.
Aiko is another of those Tier-1 manufacturers we heard about earlier. Being Tier-1 means that Bloomberg New Energy Finance has determined that a company’s longevity, financial ,strength and manufacturing processes make it a good financial bet.
For consumers, this suggests that the company you are buying from is likely to be a quality one, but it doesn’t mean you should ignore other manufacturers who may have newer products or simply don’t belong to a public company.
Aiko was founded in 2009 and has six manufacturing plants in China as well as a research and development hub in Freiberg in Germany. It has shipped more than 150 gigawatts of panels since it was founded. It is a big supplier to China’s large domestic solar industry, having this year snagged a 1 gigawatt contract to build three solar farms in the south, east and north of the country.
The Neostar also has the best output in our test, which makes the panels a good choice if roof space is at a premium.
Like the other panels in this list, the product uses N-type cells, which offer very slow degradation, and thus a nice long life.
The company claims that its cells have something called cell-level partial shade optimisation in order to deliver more power in partially shaded conditions. This, or a similar technology, is useful even if no trees are near your house – over the course of 30 years you can never be quite sure how your local skyline will change.
The company also says they have micro-crack resistance. In other words, they are tough. Over their lives, small branches from trees, hail and other detritus will strike the panels, together with the regular wind and rain Britain endures, so durability is important.
With an all-black design, they are also among the most aesthetically pleasing solar panels and maintain 89 per cent of their power after 30 years, which is towards the top of our list.
As with the other panels we reviewed, a 25 year guarantee is the standard.
These panels are somewhat lighter than the others, at 21.5kg each, which may appeal if you have a more fragile roof. They measure 1.76m by 1.13m and are 3cm thick.
Pros:
- High longevity – almost 90 per cent power after 30 years
- Best power output
- Nice all-black design
Cons:
- Pricier than alternatives
With new generation ABC (All Back Contact) technology, Aiko Neostar panels supply excellent efficiency, and their entirely black design is aesthetically pleasing and looks great on any rooftop. They represent a premium option built for homeowners in search of the latest in tech and the best performance from a small-scale system
Best for high output in weak light conditions: Jinko Tiger
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- Price, installed: £1250 per kW
- Efficiency: 22 per cent
- Wattage per panel: 440W
- Type: N-Type
- Made in: China and Malaysia, US and Vietnam
- Degradation: 87.40 per cent after 30 years
- Warranty: 25 years for the product itself, 30 years for the degradation figure
Founded in 2006, Jinko has grown to be another vast Chinese player in solar panels, with a decent track record of success.
Again, the long warranty, slow ageing rate and good power output make this a good all-round choice.
Jinko is a Tier-1 manufacturer, meaning it has been around for more than five years, it is in a strong financial position, and it automates its panel making. This is a useful guide on a company’s financial strength, but as a consumer rather than an investor, you may have other priorities.
The company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, which means it publishes quite a bit more about itself than the other firms.
It also invests in solar projects themselves, owning a 20 per cent stake in a 2 gigawatt solar project in the United Arab Emirates, one of the world’s largest plants.
Jinko is also part of the so-called Solar Module Super League, a group of seven firms which made up about half the world’s solar panel making capacity.
For the panels themselves, the stats are fairly middle of the road compared to others on our list, but as you can see from the summary towards the top of the page, all our featured panels have good warranties, power output, efficiency and useable lifespan.
You can take a lot of comfort from Jinko’s huge size and comparably long track record, approaching 20 years in the market.
So if your favourite fitting firm only stocks these panels, fear not, you are still likely to have lower bills for years to come.
A bit like flat panel TVs, intense competition in the solar panel market means the products are getting cheaper, but with high standards in manufacturing among the biggest players, of which Jinko is one.
The manufacturer says that the panels offer good output in weak light conditions, which is a key feature in the UK, not just for gloomy days but also dawn and dusk.
It uses N-type cells, which offer slow degradation, which is important if you want to fit cells to a roof and not have to replace them for a very long time.
The panels also feature good resistance to salt, which could be important if you live near the coast and need that extra protection.
The panels weigh in at 22kg, a shade lighter than most, and measure 1.76m by 1.13m. They are 3cm thick.
Pros:
- Good low-light performance
- Good all-round performance
Cons:
- Better power output and slower degradation are available elsewhere
Jinko Tiger panels deliver reliability and performance with robustness and high energy output in weak light conditions. They’re a great choice for customers who want quality, affordability, and performance from one of the best solar manufacturers in the world
Methodology
We based our judgement on a number of factors largely weighted towards price and lifespan. We spoke to solar fitters and UK experts to draw our conclusions. The efficiency of most of the panels is very similar and they tend to come in similar sizes and with similar warranties, apart from the 30 years offered by Perlight.
- Longevity is our top concern. The outlay to install the panels is large, so they must last. The cells’ longevity can be measured in two ways: the expected lifespan, which is often 25-30 years, and the degradation figure, which tells us how much power we get as the cells age.
- After longevity, price is a key metric: the lower, the better
- Then, we look at warranty and efficiency, which can often be similar, together with power output
- After that, we weigh concerns such as looks, how long the manufacturer has existed and other matters
Our top choice is the DMEGC Infinity for its balance of price and performance. Many of the Chinese brands are similarly priced with similar lifespan characteristics.
Why trust us
The Independent has been reporting on green energy and climate matters since it was founded in 1986. Since then, we have written hundreds of reviews and news stories on energy matters, including the best solar panels, the best solar installers and various other guides on green power.
What happens when you get a quote through us
After you have filled out our form above, you will receive three quotes from solar fitting companies local to you.
They may be able to quote based on the information you have given them, or they may need more information, or to visit your home.
Once you have these quotes, you can decide if you wish to proceed.
FAQs
Which type of solar panels are the best?
For most buyers fitting the panels to a roof, the most modern type of panel, N-Type, is a good bet since it will last a long time. PERC solar panels, an older design, will be cheaper but may be guaranteed for just 10 years. That makes them suitable for easier installations, such as ground level or accessible roofs, but not installations which require expensive fitting.
What are Tier 1 solar panels?
You may have read the phrase Tier 1 associated with solar panels. It refers to tiers of manufacturers, based on their financial stability and their track record of making high-quality panels. To be seen as a Tier 1 manufacturer, panels should be made in-house and a track record of at least five years is generally needed.
It is a good indicator that a panel maker is high quality, but it is not the be-all and end-all since factors which matter little to buyers such as the quality of a manufacturer’s accounting practices form part of the criteria. Aiko, Jinko and DMEGC are all Tier-1 firms.
Does the brand of solar panels matter?
Yes and no. There are big brands in solar panel making such as Sharp, but it stopped selling panels to European countries this year. The most important thing is to choose a brand with a good history. All our makers featured in this guide have been around for at least 15 years and up to 45 years.
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