EnergySage ranks brands of the best solar panel on the American market

February 25, 2025
Ryan Kennedy

By PV Magazine USA

Zonne -Markt van Zonne -Energy, which offers Quotes and estimates for solar energy on the roofhas released an overview of the best solar panel brands on the American market, based on a series of criteria.

The company weighed its rankings based on performance, including panel efficiency, output per square foot and temperature coefficient.

It also assessed product guarantees, including electricity and product guarantee lengths and criteria with regard to labor and shipment. It evaluated the sustainability of the panel based on wind and snow load resistance, advanced certifications, Pvel Top Performer Tests and production of ISO certifications. Read more about the ranking method here.

EnergySage said that the top brands based on these specifications Maxeon, REC, Panasonic, Canadian Solar and Jinkosolar. It also identified top performers based on specific customer results:

Best Efficiency: Maxeon Solar Technologies

$ 3.05/W, efficiency of 22.28% and 40-year performance and product guarantee

Best performance per cent: Summit Energy via REC Group

$ 2.49/W, 22.2% Efficiency, 25-year product guarantee

Best for warm climates: Panasonic Evervolt

$ 2.69/W, 22.2% efficiency, 25-year performance and product guarantee

Best temperature coefficient of -0.24% per degree Celsius

Powerful output: Canadian solar energy

$ 2.73/W, 22% efficiency, 30-year performance and a 25-year product guarantee

Tophiku6 -panel model was rated on 450 W.

EnergySage said that the average 11 KW solar panel system costs around $ 20,552 after American federal tax credits. It said that the best way to ensure that you get good value for your solar array by dividing the output of the panel per square foot by the costs per watt.

The average costs in the United States are $ 2.56/W before incentives, according to EnergySage data. The costs have fallen considerably because 10 years ago the average installation costs were around $ 3.36/W, according to data from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Utility Electric rates have increased rapidly, which means that every year an Ratepayer is waiting to pay solar energy, is another year to miss savings.

Based on the current utilities electricity rates and the expected annual tariff increases, it is expected that systems installed today will have an average payback period of 7.1 years or return on the investment.

“We recommend that you buy your solar panels downright or to finance them with a loan if possible. However, if you cannot afford the costs for the in advance or do not prefer to take a loan, a lease or power purchase agreement (PPA) is another option to consider, ”said Alix Langone, senior research analyst at EnergySage. “Paying in cash is usually the best financial choice, because this leads to greater savings in the long term. But if you do not have the money at hand or do not have a tax assessment to take advantage of the federal tax credit of 30%, a lease or PPA can be a good alternative. “