Best Solar Panels

In 2007  ENF Ltd., a reputable China and UK based photovoltaic information company, took a brand survey of photovoltaic installation companies in 45 different countries.

ENF is a photovoltaic information company located in China and in the U.K. .  Those were the results:

Best Solar Panels

Global No.1 Brand: SunPower
Global No.2 Brand: Schott Solar
Global No.3 Brand: Solar World
No.1 Product Quality: Sanyo
No.1 Value for Money: Suntech Power

Best Solar Panels Inverters

Global No.1 Brand: Kaco Solar
Global No.2 Brand: OutBack
Global No.3 Brand: Mastervolt
No.1 Product Quality: OutBack
No.1 Value for Money: Kaco Solar

Best Solar Panels Mounting Systems

Global No.1 Brand: Direct Power & Water
Global No.2 Brand: UniRac
Global No.3 Brand: Schüco

Best Solar Trackers

Global No.1 Brand: Zomeworks

Best Solar Systems

Global No.1 Brand: Sharp

ENF is a photovoltaic information company located in China and in the U.K.. Their 3 core activities are:

1. Photovoltaic Company Directory
2. Photovoltaic Market Research
3. Trade Services

CEO: Kit Temple Website: http://www.enf.cn

How can you find the “best solar panels” for your purpose?

A good way to start finding out is to ask yourself: Do I want to produce electrical power to run electrical devices in the house, in the garden or on the way, e.g. Lights, Stereos, Computers etc.? Or do I want to produce heat / hot water for house and pool? In this article you will learn how to choose the best solar panels and do both.

Electrical Power with Photovoltaic Panels

  Strictly speaking “Solar Panels” are Photovoltaic Panels or Photovoltaic Modules. Solar Panels in this respect convert shortwave radiation, mostly sunlight, into  electrical power. They consist of Photovoltaic Cells made of Silicium or other semiconducting materials. (Silicium is worldwide most frequently used). These Solar Panels are available in different sizes, (falling) prices and, depending on size and material, different degrees of efficiency and amounts of wattage they can produce.

Now how to choose the best solar panels out of this wide range of electricity producing modules? Please consider two more things:

• The bigger the solar panel, the more electricity it will relatively produce
• The higher the degree of efficiency, the more electricity it will realtively produce

So, if you have a small rooftop and a lot of money, you may get Gallium-Arsenik-Solar Panels installed. They have the biggest commercial available degree of efficiency (30%) and produce 50 Watt / Kilogram. They are perhaps the best solar panels and very, very expensive.  

If you have an average roof and average money, you may consider multicristalline Silicium Panels. Their degree of efficiency is circa 16% and are the best solar panels in cost/performance ratio at the time. Further alternatives are:

• Monocristalline Silicium Panels (degree of efficiency is over 20% at 20 – 50 Watt per Kilogram
• Amorphous Silicium Thin-Film-Panels (degree of efficiency at 5 – 7 %, best solar panels in sales at the time)

Hot Water with Solar Collectors

  Solar Thermal Collectors or Solar Collectors, on the other hand, are devices that also utilize the sunlight. They generate heat / hot water and use a technology that is very different to Photovoltaic Modules. Nevertheless are they commonly named “Solar Panels”, too. That especially when they are non parabolic flat and installed on rooftops. Solar Collectors can produce heat / hot water with a high degree of efficiency. Residential installations provide hot water for heating and shower. Industrial Solar Collectors can use the produced hot water even to run electrical generators and produce electrical power. Depending on the different ways of damping the Solar Absorber there are 4 major kinds of Solar Thermal Collectors:

1. Flat Plate – Uses common insulating material
2. Evacuated Tube – Uses vacuum for damping, is more expensive
3. Vacuum Flat Plate – Is flat, has a good gross/net ratio and is vacuum damped. The best Solar Panels for hot water.
4. Low Temperatur Absorber – Is a simple absorber, mostly used to heat swimming pools, mostly consists of plastic material and is in the majority of cases undamped. But belongs to the best solar panels for pool heating.

There are some other kinds of Solar Collectors such as Air, Asphalt and Volumetric Thermal Collectors. The latter may be the earliest Solar Collector in human history but in real life you may use one of the 4 common Collector-Types mentioned above to produce heat / hot water.

Summary:

If you want to produce electricity, the best solar panels are photovoltaic panels. If you want to produce heat / hot water, the best solar panels for you are Solar Thermal Collectors. There are a lot of differences in price and performance in both categories, depending on several factors mentioned above. Consider consulting one or several local Solar-Specialists to get advice on location. Consider as well building your own solar panels, save a lot of money and get a lot of fun.

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