Buying a residential or commercial solar panel can be an exhilarating experience. Going green for Australians and saving more money is something you should be happy about. But don’t take advertising too seriously.
With the changing future of solar technologies, you also notice that more and more brands will compete for your money. To make an informed decision, you want to find out the best solar panels in Australia.
How do you do that?
In today’s guide, we give you four key factors to consider when buying solar panels. These key features for panels can help you decide on the best solar products for your specific installation.
Here’s what you need.
1. Solar Panel size
The first feature you need to consider is the solar panel size and suitability. For Australia, which is in the Southern hemisphere, it’s best to put all solar panels in a north-facing position. So, pick a size for your roof that fits this requirement.
While you can face your residential solar panels towards the West or East, you want to get the optimal position for solar power. The dimensions of your panels should fit the side of the roof where you will do the solar installation.
You want to make sure you have solar panel experts that can help you assess this problem.
2. Solar Panel efficiency
Panel efficiency is the detail that you should look when buying solar panels in Australia. Panel efficiency refers to the ability of the panel to convert input energy into output energy. Why is this important?
A more efficient solar panel not only charges solar batteries faster because it has a higher output. Better efficiency means you also get more power even when the sunlight is not too bright. You want to get more output from your panels.
So, how do you pick which panels through efficiency? The average panel efficiency should be around 15 to 16%. Anything at 17 – 19% is on the higher end, with 20+ percentage efficiency being top of the line.
3. Solar Panel durability
Durability is another factor you need to consider when buying solar panels. Durable panels will prevent you from doing replacements all the time, which can be troublesome. Australia experiences strong winds now and then, so panel durability is vital to avoid as much downtime as possible.
You want to have a solar panel with quite a high wind load and at least a hail protection too. As many high-quality solar panels don’t need maintenance, you want to have high snow loads too. Why?
A high snow load means it can withstand a specific force and weight. It can withstand the same debris load over it. You would also want a solar panel with durability against environmental conditions.
4. Warranty periods
When buying solar panels, it’s also crucial to choose solar panels with a longer warranty period. You want to pick a solar panel that has a product warranty that covers a long time.
Many panel manufacturers provide an average of 10 years warranty. A 12-year warranty is also becoming more common, with 20+ year warranties being outliers.
You also want to make sure your solar panels have performance warranties. A performance warranty is a promise that a manufacturer will deem your panel defective if it falls below a level of performance. Many manufacturers put this at least 80% performance of their rated efficiency.
If your solar panels have a 20% efficiency with a peak output power at 400W, here’s the thing. It needs to perform at least up to 16% efficiency and 320W peak output power. Anything less and you can take it for replacement.
Solar panels will have between 25 to 30 years of performance warranties.
Buying the best solar panels in Australia
When you are looking to buy the best solar panels in Australia, there are several key factors to consider. Size, durability, efficiency, and warranty are some of the factors to consider when buying solar panels.
One of the best ways to pick solar panels is to buy them from a solar panel expert you can trust. Solar products need to come from a seller with experience and expertise in the field.
Take a look and see which solar panels fit your needs.
