Solar industry develops fast and shows the most promise among renewables. Since gas prices are rising, more and more people consider installing a home solar system. However, new models come out each month and it’s hard to choose between. Here is a short list of possibly the best solar panels 2022 that we have.
What Is A Solar Panel?
There is a chance you’ve heard of solar panels here and there but never quite figured out what they are. A PV module is a panel that is approximately 40 to 70 inches in size. It generates current when it is exposed to sunlight. A single rigid panel provides between 300W-500W. The average size of a solar installation in the US is around 5-6 kW and you need around 15 to 30 modules to build that kind of system. Generally, solar panels go on the roof of your house, but you can also install them on the ground as well.
A solar panel generates direct current by nature. Most house appliances can’t use DC so you also need an inverter to convert direct current to alternating. If your system is big enough, you won’t need any electricity from the commercial grid during daytime and thus your energy bills will be greatly reduced. You can also sell excess solar energy to your utility for credits which you’ll later use to cover the bills for night energy consumption.
The production of your PV system depends on the number of peak sun hours in your area. A solar system in Los Angeles will do significantly better than a system in New York. Clouds do get in the way of solar energy production, but it’s not like solar panels shut down once there is a small cloud in the sky. The panels make use of more than just visible sunlight and some solar radiation penetrates clouds just fine. Generally, the performance of panels falls down by 40-20%, but as long as there is daylight they keep on working.
3 best solar panels for sale
So what would be the best solar panels for home 2022? We’ve picked three different models for you. Each one has something special to it and it’s up to you to decide which one you like the most.
REC 400W Solar Panel 132 cell REC400AA-PURE
REC is a well-known and highly respected brand from Norway. The Alpha series is their trump card: this panel is a contender to be the best solar panel in 2022. Alpha solar panels are among the most efficient solar panels on the whole market with a 21.6% conversion rate, whereas the average rates are between 17% and 20%. They are very sturdy and come with wonderful 25-year warranties for product, workmanship and performance. The only real downside is the high cost.
Jinko Eagle 385W G2 72 Cell Solar Panel
Chinese company Jinko Solar is currently the largest solar manufacturer in the world. The panels from Eagle series are suitable both for residential and commercial installations. They are great in terms of cost/efficiency/quality balance. The panels from Jinko are among the cheapest, but the warranties are there and the efficiency is relatively high.
Solaria 400W Solar Panel PowerXT-400R-PM
Solaria makes possibly the most beautiful solar panels in the world. The reason for this is that their panels consist of solar shingles instead of solar cells. The innovative design makes Solaria solar panels much more resistant to shading. Unfortunately, that also drives the manufacturing costs up significantly.