Price
Expand to view more details.Price per panel at time of testing. Actual prices can vary significantly between suppliers – you need to compare costs of whole systems and installation, not just the panels. NA = not available (some tested panels are not obtainable individually and were borrowed from suppliers).
enter value/s in increments of 1 between 0 and 382
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Type
Monocrystalline: The typical black panel used in most current domestic installations.
Monocrystalline PERC: A higher efficiency technology found in some panels. See our buying guide for more information.
Bifacial: Has solar cells on both faces, i.e. front and back. These can be mounted as usual, with the front facing the sky and the back face picking up extra reflected light from the roof, or mounted vertically (e.g. to face east and west for morning and afternoon sun).
Claimed power output (W)
The claimed power output for the panel under standard lab conditions. The higher the number, the more electricity you'll get from the panel. See our buying guide for an explanation.
enter value/s in increments of i between 330 and 475
Product warranty
The warranty for the panel itself, covering repair or replacement if the panel is faulty. 12 years is the typical minimum, but some brands have increased these warranties to 25 or 30 years (in some cases conditional on the panels being installed by one of their approved installers).
Power output score
A score out of 100 based on how close the tested panels come to their claimed power output. 100 indicates the panel exceeded its claim, 80 means it was as per its claim, and lower scores indicate it fell short to some extent. See 'How we test solar panels' for details.
enter value/s in increments of i between 43 and 100
Electroluminescence score
The electroluminescence test uses infrared photography to find hidden microcracks and other faults in the panels. 100% = all three panel samples passed; 66% = one sample failed; 33% = two samples failed; 0% = all three samples failed.
enter value/s in increments of i between 0 and 100
Efficiency (%)
The manufacturer's claimed efficiency for the panel – its electricity output (in watts) compared to its surface area. The bigger the number, the better. See our buying guide for details.
enter value/s in increments of i between 18.9 and 22.53
Country of origin
Most brands have one manufacturing centre, but some have factories in multiple countries.
Availability
A Similar model is identical in most aspects except for a few. This means that a majority of its test results are identical so you can reasonably expect to get the same results from the model we tested, but for those aspects which aren't identical, we'll note these as "Not Tested" in the Compare tables.
A Tested model refers to a model that is still current and available in the Australian market. You should be able to order this model through your local retailer, or find it online.
These models can't be found in retailers or online or are no longer manufactured. You may still find these models on second hand websites, or in second hand dealers. Test methods may change over time, so criteria which can't be directly compared will contain an N/A.
An Identical model is exactly that. Performance characteristics will be identical and the only difference will be something trivial such as colour, which won't have an impact on performance.
These are models we haven't yet tested but that are available.
Included in this review
- CHOICE Expert Rating
- Availability
- Recommended
- Power output score
- Electroluminescence score
- Wet leakage score
- Visual inspection score
- Passed PID test
- Measured power output (W)
- Good points
- Bad points
- Price
- Claimed power output (W)
- Claimed power tolerance
- Efficiency (%)
- Dimensions (cm, L x W)
- Product warranty
- Performance warranty
- Claimed power output at end of performance warranty
- Warranted performance degradation per year
- Country of origin
- Operating temperature range
- Temperature coefficient
- AC or DC