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Reviews and information on the best Solar panels, inverters and batteries from SMA, Fronius, SunPower, SolaX, Q Cells, Trina, Jinko, Selectronic, Tesla Powerwall, ABB. Plus hybrid inverters, battery sizing, Lithium-ion and lead-acid batteries, off-grid and on-grid power systems.

Best Solar Panels 2021

By combining years of experience in the solar industry and feedback from hundreds of solar professionals, we have put together a list of the best quality and most popular solar panels available in Australia from the worlds leading manufacturers.

As highlighted in our guide to choosing a quality and efficient solar panel, when it comes to selecting panels, higher cost panels from the leading manufacturers generally offer better quality, higher efficiency and increased reliability. Solar panels from the manufacturers listed below have proven to out-perform and outlast most cheaper panels with many of the lesser-known 'cheap' manufacturers failing to honour warranties, going bankrupt or being de-listed from the Clean Energy Council's list of approved solar panels.

Best Solar Panel Manufacturers

Here is our shortlist of the best quality and most reliable solar panels available in Australia based on company history, quality, real-world performance, warrant conditions, service, and feedback from solar industry professionals. This list is generally applicable to most regions with established solar industries including Europe, Africa and Asia.

In comparison to Australia which has access to most leading global and Chinese brands, the US solar market is protected by import tariffs and has more local manufacturing. There are several high-end North American based brands such as Silfab Solar, Solaria, Misson Solar and of course Tesla, who are generally focused on supplying the growing North American market. Panasonic is another premium brand offering high-performance heterojunction panels in the US and Japan.

Make	Leading Model *	Cell type *	Max Efficiency *	Product Warranty **	Perf Warranty after 25 yrs #
SunPower	Maxeon 3	N-type IBC	22.8%	25 years	Min 92.0% output
REC	Alpha Series	N-type HJT MBB	21.9%	20 years	Min 92.0% output
LG Energy	Neon R	N-type IBC	22.0%	25 years	Min 90.8% output
Qcells	QPeak DUO G9+	P-type Half-cut MBB	20.8%	25 years	Min 86% output
Winaico	WST-375MG	P-type Half-cut MBB	20.6%	25 years	Min 85.3% output
Hyundai	HiES400UF	P-type Shingled PERC	21.3%	25 years	Min 84.8% output
JinkoSolar	Tiger Pro 66TR	P-type Half-cut MBB Gapless	21.3%	15 years	Min 84.8% output
Canadian Solar	HiKu6	P-type Half-cut MBB	20.8%	12 years	Min 84.8% output
Trina Solar	Vertex S	P-type Half-cut MBB Gapless	21.1%	15 years	Min 84.8% output
Longi Solar	Hi-MO 4m	P-type Half-cut MBB Ga-doped	20.8%	12 years	Min 84.8% output

Tindo Solar is currently the only Australian solar panel manufacture and is well regarded by installers and customers alike. However, the limited production volume means they can be difficult to source outside South Australia.

Best Value solar panel manufacturers

Based on feedback from solar professionals, below is our list of the best 'value' solar panel manufacturers available in Australia. With a long history in research and development, Trina Solar, Jinko Solar and Canadian Solar are some of the oldest and best-known manufacturers, while LONGi Solar has more recently become the worlds largest manufacturer of monocrystalline cells by volume.

Trina Solar
Jinko Solar
Canadian Solar
LONGi Solar
Phono Solar
Suntech Power
JA Solar

Solar panel performance warranty comparison chart - Click to see full details

SunPower

Sunpower, now known as Maxeon Solar, is a world leader in high-efficiency IBC solar cells and offer an industry-leading performance warranty of 92% retained capacity after 25 years, plus a 25-year manufacturers product warranty.

The Maxeon series panels use the high-performance IBC N-type cells which are the most efficient solar PV cell technology available today. Although, they do come at a premium price and are not widely used in Australia. The more cost-effective Performance or P series panels from SunPower are popular for both residential and larger scale commercial installations. In North America, Sunpower panels are very popular and one of the most trusted brands available.

Power rating (W): 340W to 550W
Efficiency (%): 19.6% to 22.8%
Price range: Med to Very High $$$$$
Product Warranty: 25 Years

See the detailed SunPower solar panel review .

REC

REC manufactures high quality, cost-effective panels which have proven to be very popular among installers, in particular the TwinPeak range. As of 2019 all REC TwinPeak and N-peak panels come with a standard 20-year product warranty and improved performance warranty with reduced degradation making it one of the best warranties on the market.

The REC TwinPeak panels were the first to use half-cut cells in the split module format providing higher efficiency and improved shade tolerance. The N-Peak series panels and recently released Alpha series panels utilising advanced N-type Heterojunction (HJT) half-cut cells, now position REC among the industry-leading manufacturers in high performance solar.

Power rating* (W): 330W to 380W
Efficiency (%): 19% to 21.7%
Price range: Med to High $$$
Product Warranty: 20 Years

See the detailed REC solar panel review .

LG

LG is regarded as one of the world's leading manufacturer's with a premium range of quality, reliable, high-performance panels. LG is one of a few manufacturers offering both a 25-year product and 25-year performance warranty on the Neon 2 and Neon R panels, which both utilise high grade, long-lasting, N-type silicon cells.

LG's range of premium panels are very popular in Australia, the USA and Europe and incorporate many industry-leading technologies. The LG Neon 2 panels were the first to use multi-wire busbars together with high-performance N-type cells and are one of the most popular high-end panels available in Australia.

Power rating (W): 350W to 450W
Efficiency (%): 19.3% to 22.0%
Price range: Med to High $$$$
Product Warranty: 25 Years

See the detailed LG solar panel review .

Q Cells

Hanwha Q Cells is a well known, high volume panel manufacturer offering a wide range of quality panels for all applications. The latest Q cells G6+ Duo panels are backed by a new 25-year product warranty and improved long term performance warranty with 85% rated output after 25 years.

Q cells offer a very wide range of panels from entry-level standard 60 cell panels using reliable monocrystalline cells, to highly efficient half-cut mono PERC cells used on the Q.Peak Duo G5 and G6 range, and more recently the advanced Q.Peak DUO G8 and G9+ range featuring the latest innovations including zero-gap cells with 12 microwire busbars.

Power rating (W): 335W to 465W
Efficiency (%): 18.8% to 20.8%
Price range: Med $$$
Product Warranty: 12 to 25 Years

See the detailed Q cells solar panel review.

Winaico

Winaico is a relatively small volume manufacturer offering a premium range of high-quality panels which are reasonably priced. Winaico panels now come with a 25-year manufacturers warranty and are well regarded and trusted by installers. They also have a good track record for long term reliability and performance in the harsh Australian conditions.

Winaico's attention to detail, high strength frame designs and great service also put them ahead of most other manufacturers. The next generation GEMINI series are available in power ratings up to 375W panels and feature high-efficiency mono PERC half-cut cells .

Power rating (W): 310W to 375W
Efficiency (%): 18.8% to 20.6%
Price range: Med to High $$$
Product Warranty: 25 Years

See the detailed Winaico solar panel review .

Hyundai

Hyundai has a long history in energy and manufacturing dating back to the early 1970s and in 2004 Hyundai entered the solar industry and slowly built a solid foundation in solar panel manufacturing. Unlike the massive Chinese competitors, Hyundai solar has focused on producing a small number of quality, affordable solar panels built around established solar cell technologies.

While most solar manufacturers are now making panels using half-cut or split-cells, Hyundai has focused on producing shingled cell solar panels using efficient mono PERC cells. Shingled cell panels offer a variety of benefits over the more common split-cell panels such as improved shade tolerance and a very low risk of micro-cracks or hotspots. Hyundai is also one of several premium manufacturers offering a 25-year product warranty on the SG, VG and UF series panels.

Power rating (W): 350W to 490W
Efficiency (%): 19.8% to 21.3%
Price range: Med $$$
Product Warranty: 25 Years

See the detailed Hyundai solar panel review .

Performance and durability testing

The many advancements in solar cell technology has lead to huge price reductions over recent years with many new low cost, more efficient solar panels being released by the leading Chinese manufacturers. To ensure ongoing quality there are several leading, independent, testing organisation which help verify long term performance and reliability. This is further explained in our guide to selecting a quality solar panel.

Summary of top performers from PVEL 2020 - A leading independent solar panel testing service.

Trina Solar

Trina Solar is one of the worlds largest solar panel manufacturers and are investing heavily in low-cost, high-efficiency panels. The well known Trina Honey range of panels are considered great quality and very good value for money, in particular the Honey M (monocrystalline) panels which are now available in the more efficient half-cut 120 cell format up to 370W.

Trina Solar offers a very diverse range of panels from cost-effective mono-crystalline PERC panels to advanced bifacial panels. The latest Vertex and Vertex S (small) series of high-performance panels boosted Trina Solar's standing as a manufacturer of advanced high-efficiency panels.

Power rating (W): 330W to 670W
Efficiency (%): 19.6% to 21.3%
Price range: Low to Med $$
Product Warranty: 12 to 15 Years

See the detailed Trina solar panel review .

Jinko Solar

JinkoSolar is the largest Chinese solar panel manufacturer by volume and produces a wide range of cost-effective and reliable panels. The Jinko engineers work closely with the Australian UNSW solar research center of excellence and have achieved several efficiency records over the years through their continuous research and development in new PV cell technology.

The Cheetah range (mono) of panels from JinkoSolar is one of the most popular low-cost panels on the market with a great track record for reliability, and good support from local offices. More recently, the powerful Tiger and Tiger Pro series of panels from Jinko has pushed the boundaries of PV cell innovation and technology.

Power rating (W): 335W to 585W
Efficiency (%): 19.8% to 21.4%
Price range: Low to Med $$
Product Warranty: 12 to 20 Years

See the detailed JinkoSolar panel review.

Canadian Solar

Canadian Solar is the fifth largest solar panel manufacturer in the world and produces a wide range of cost-effective, reliable panels. The company generally focused on more cost-effective polycrystalline cells and developed some advanced high-efficiency panels based on the half-cut polycrystalline cell design. However, over recent years, Canadian Solar shifted to developing more efficient mono-PERC cell-based panels like the HiDM and HiKu series.

The new-generation HiKu6 and HiKu7 range of monocrystalline split-cell panels from Canadian Solar are becoming more popular among installers as a quality, affordable, high-performance panel backed by good support from local offices.

Power rating (W): 350W to 665W
Efficiency (%): 19.6% to 21.3%
Price range: Low to Med $$
Product Warranty: 12 Years

See the detailed Canadian Solar panel review.

LONGi Solar

LONGi Solar has grown rapidly over the last few years to become not only one of the largest Chinese solar panel manufacturers but the largest monocrystalline cell manufacturer in the world. LONGi produce a wide range of cost-effective and reliable panels which only use monocrystalline cells. In fact, part of the industry shift towards more efficient mono and mono PERC cells was due to the massive investment by LONGi in large scale mono wafer manufacturing.

The Hi-MO 4 mono PERC range of panels from LONGi Solar use the common split-cell format and have become one of the most popular and affordable 370W panels on the market. Additionally, the unique new Gallium-doped silicon cells developed by LONGi are an impressive development proven to improve the lifespan of solar panels.

Power rating (W): 300W to 540W
Efficiency (%): 19.6% to 21.9%
Price range: Low to Med $$
Product Warranty: 12 Years

See the detailed LONGi solar panel review

Add your professional feedback - Click here

In addition to continuous feedback from our solar specialists the clean energy reviews team invite all solar industry professionals and installers to give your feedback (positive or negative) from experience with any modules.

Most efficient Solar Panels

Popular Solar Panel Models

In addition to the best manufacturers there are a few models which are favorites among our specialists and many Australian installers due to a combination quality, efficiency, performance and value for money. These panels are also proving very popular in the US and much of Europe, in particular the range of modules from Sunpower, REC, LG and Q-cells.

LG NeON 2

LG Neon 2 panels use high efficiency mono N-type cells with advanced rear side absorption technology similar to PERC cells, along with 12 'Cello' thin wire busbars to further improve efficiency and performance. The Neon 2 range, from 335W to 370W power ratings, are covered by a leading 25-year product warranty and an impressive performance warranty of 90% retained capacity after 25 years. LG panels are also built on high-strength frames with very high wind load ratings which make them one of the strongest panels on the market. See full LG solar panel review here.

See the full LG Neon 2 Specification datasheet.

SunPower P3 series

The SunPower Performance series panels have become a popular choice for larger-scale commercial installations due to their high quality and performance. Unlike other SunPower panels which use higher grade, high-cost IBC cells, the P series uses a shingled cell design which is much more cost-effective. The shingled cells are more tolerant to partial shading and less prone to micro-cracking which can be an issue with panels using conventional full-size square solar cells. Despite being based on standard P-type silicon, SunPower still offers a 25-year manufacturer's warranty. See the full SunPower solar panels review here.

See the full Sunpower P3 415W series specification datasheet.

REC Alpha Series

REC's renowned Alpha range of panels incorporate advanced heterojunction (HJT) cell technology in a split-cell format to achieve an impressive 21.7% efficiency at 380W. The half-size cell format, developed by REC, increases efficiency and improves performance, especially in partially shaded conditions. The next-generation Alpha series from REC take the half-cut panel design to the next level utilising advanced N-type HJT silicon cells to create one of the best performing and most efficient panels available today. See the complete REC solar panels review.

See the full REC Alpha specifications datasheet

Q Cells Q.Peak Duo G6+

The popular Q.Peak DUO G6+ panel rated up to 355W

Hanwha Q cells, previously known as Q cells, is regaining popularity as a medium to high-end panel option in Australia as the company releases advanced new modules including the advanced Q.Peak Duo G9+ range of modules with micro-wire busbars achieving up to 20.3% efficiency. The current Q.Peak DUO G6 panels, rated up to 355W, have become a popular choice in Australia for those looking for a more affordable panel backed by a 25 product and performance warranty period backed by a well-established manufacture. See the complete Q cells solar panels review.

See the full Q Cells Q.Peak DUO G6+ datasheet.

Jinko Solar Cheetah PLUS

Jinko Cheetah PERC solar panel review.jpg

The Cheetah PLUS 370W monocrystalline panels from JinkoSolar are built on the modern 66 cell or 132 split-cell format and have quickly become one of the most popular panels on the market. The modules offer a good combination of quality, efficiency and affordability. The mono PERC cells use the common Passivated Emitter Rear Contact (PERC) technology offering up to 20.15% efficiency and are backed by a standard 12 years manufactures warranty, plus are guaranteed against any excessive degradation caused by PID and LeTiD effects.

See the JinkoSolar Cheetah specification sheet.

Trina Solar Honey M

Trina Solar SplitMax 330W panel review.jpg

The new generation Trina Honey M range of panels are a very popular choice in Australia due to the high-performance multi-busbar (MBB) split-cell format which is fast becoming the new industry trend for high-efficiency panels. Trina panels are known for both quality and value for money and are backed very large, well-established manufacturer together and a standard 12-year manufacturers warranty. The latest Honey M split-cell range are available from 350W to 375W, with up to 20.5% efficiency. See full Trina Solar review here.

See the Trina Honey M specification sheet.

Solar Power Questions

See more discussions around the best solar panels in our forum, including:

Jinko vs Risen vs Canadian vs Trina Solar
Longi vs JA vs Q Cells vs Suntech vs Jinko

A guide to the most common solar panel faults and problems and how to determine if your solar system is performing as it should. Plus the 5 basic steps to fault finding a solar system and how to check solar panel string voltages using an app or inverter display.

Hyundai a large South Korean based solar panel manufacturer offering a range of high-end panels based on the unique shingled cell technology. We review the new range of panels and explain how shingled cells work and the benefits compared to the more common half-cut cell panels.

SunPower is regarded as a world-leading solar panel producer with only a few manufacturers competing at the same level of performance and quality. SunPower also leads in efficiency, but is the extra cost really worth it? We examine the SunPower range of panels and see if they live up to the hype.

JinkoSolar was founded in 2006 and grew rapidly to become the world's largest solar panel manufacturer in 2016 through producing reliable, affordable solar panels. The company is now pushing the boundaries with the new Tiger range of high-performance solar panels.

REC is a leading innovator of solar cell technology and is developing ultra-efficient heterojunction cells which are the foundation of the high performance Alpha series of panels. These solar cell advancements set REC apart from the competition and are expected to become the industry standard due to the increased efficiency and reliability.

LONGi Solar has grown rapidly over the last 5 years to be crowned the world's largest solar company and manufactures a range of solar panels for residential and commercial applications featuring some of the latest solar PV cell innovations and new technologies.