Currentyear best bang for buck solar panels?

KingArthur · Jun 1, 2019

Haven't had to shop around for solar panels in a while. Looking to purchase a 6-900w system. Last time I looked, there were some big time deals from China, of course, but they were largely untested.

highdesertranger · Jun 1, 2019

santan solar outside of Phoenix. Jim and Bob have both recommended them. they donated a pallet of panels to HOWA so you know they are good guys. I bought a 435 watt panel from them for 200 bucks,

https://santansolar.com/home

highdesertranger

sushidog · Jun 1, 2019

Santan has the best used panel prices by far.

But if you are looking for new panels with full 25 year power output warranty, check out N. Arizona Wind and Solar. Later this month, I plan on purchasing a pair of these https://www.solar-electric.com/rec310tp2m-twinpeak2-310-watt-monocrystalline-solar-panel.html when they get them back in stock. These panels will still be under warranty when I'm dead and gone. To me, that's worth a little more than to take a chance on a used one with who knows how much life left. To be fair, Santan offers a year's warranty on their used stock and an option to purchase an additional 5 yr warranty, if this suits your needs.

Just remember that as panels age their output diminishes. A 5 year old panel only has about 95% of the power output of when it was new. A 10 yr old panel has 90% a 15 yr old has about 85% and so on. They are very clear about this. For example, if you look at their 327 watt Sun panel they have for sale, it was rated to put out 6.46 A when new, but they say that the ones they have only put out 5.8 A (90% of their rated power). It's still a great deal at only $110, just be aware of what you are buying and don't have the unrealistic expectation that they will perform like they did when they were new.

Chip