How to choose solar products?

[Jing Wei]

Compare with these companies ，JA、Trina、Yingli、Renesola、LDk etc.Which one should I choose if I want to buy solar panels?Why?

[Rob Beckers]

Hi Jing,

I know Trina, Yingli, and Renesola; they are all considered decent brands (and all three are Chinese). The criteria for us, as PV installers, is to stick with a top-tier company (so none of the B-brands), and one where we believe the likelihood good of them being around for the next 25 years. They all promise 25 year warranties, but as we've seen many (most?) PV manufacturers go bankrupt at some point, making that warranty worthless.

Regarding warranty, as a company we like the manufacturers that underwrite (insure) their warranty so that even if they go bankrupt there's still something for the customer, though I am not sure how they would get a replacement panel if needed. Canadian Solar (another Chinese company) is one such manufacturer that underwrites their warranty with third-party insurance. There are others though.

-RoB-

[Jing Wei]

My friend recommended me ReneSola (http://www.renesola.com).
So I become more interested about it.

[Mabel Smith]

ReneSola work with a number of other prominent solar manufacturers from their base in China.

They currently have a healthy relationship with JA Solar. The company is most known for the development of multicrystalline wafers in recent years, but their standard PV offerings are also of a high quality. The panels have a high power output and are amongst the most efficient on the market as they exceed industry standards by around 1%.

While not the most efficient panel in this list, the ReneSola 275W Monocrystalline solar panel is more efficient than the industry standard of 16%. In standard testing conditions it is able to reach an efficiency level of just under 17%.

Despite being one of the lighter panels on the market, it is rather durable and has a mechanical load capability of 5400 Pa. They also come with a 10 year materials warranty in addition to the standard 25 year performance warranty.

This is one of the best panels on the market, combining high efficiency with good power output. Furthermore, the fact that it is so light makes it easier to install and allows for weaker roofs to have a solar installation.