WHY FINDING THE BEST SOLAR PANELS IS MORE ABOUT LONGEVITY THAN COST

Investing in a solar power system is both exciting and significant. While you’ll look forward to years of environmentally friendly living and lower energy costs, you’ll also need to hand over a significant upfront sum to see the benefits. With that in mind, it really is important to find the best solar panels for the job. If you want to succeed in your mission, you need to prioritise longevity over cost. At Solar bridge, we’re here to explain why the best solar panels are rarely the cheapest, and why making an investment that covers decades to come is worthwhile.

THE BEST SOLAR PANELS PRIORITISE STURDY MATERIALS

When you look at different solar panel brands, you’ll notice that some feature lengthy warranties while others don’t make the same guarantees. It’s easy to assume that because the panels available throughout Australia need to meet national regulations to be sold and installed legally, they’re all of the same quality.

Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. At Solar bridge, we prioritise using brands that focus on weathering the different conditions throughout Australia. For example, in areas such as the Gold Coast, the higher-than-usual wind speeds throughout the year mean that solar panels come under increased mechanical load. This is because periods of high wind cause them to flex more than when conditions are stationary, resulting in an increased risk of degradation.

Because of this, the best solar panels will focus on materials that are in place to combat such conditions, which then means they’ll last longer. To ensure this degree of longevity, the materials cost more, which means a higher upfront cost. However, over time this pays for itself, as you get more guarantees through your warranty and better support after they’re installed.

MEASURING LONGEVITY IN TERMS OF PERFORMANCE

The best solar panels will also measure longevity in terms of performance. And by this we mean they’ll experience less of a performance percentage drop each year than other makes. To understand what we mean, it’s necessary to explain the different types of solar cells.

Solar panels tend to use two different types of cells: P-type and C-type. P-type panels are generally cheaper, but their cells are more likely to degrade in terms of performance in the first (and subsequent) years than C-type. This degradation begins when oxygen impurities trigger chemical interactions within the cell’s structure, which is initiated when they first begin converting sunlight to energy.

It’s for this reason that the best solar panels feature warranties identifying what the reduction in performance is by percentage points each year. Most will experience a reduction of 3% in the first year, as this is when the biggest changes happen. From then on, the reduction is less than 1% per year. Although both P-type and C-type warranties tend to show the same reductions on the warranties, scientifically C-types don’t suffer as much. As such, this is a feature you should look out for when trying to find the best solar panels.

OVERALL, MANUFACTURERS OF THE BEST SOLAR PANELS WILL BACK THEIR CLAIMS WITH DECENT WARRANTIES

Manufacturers and installers who know their solar panels aren’t among the best won’t support them with long-lasting warranties. This is because they know a quick breakdown or technical fault will appear on the horizon faster than the panels made by their competitors.

At Solar bridge, our expertise allows us to choose panels with lasting warranties for both our business and residential customers. We complement this with workmanship warranties that are longer than our competitors’, because we’re confident a combination of our skill and the high-quality panels we use will result in an excellent experience for you.