Solar Panel Efficiency: What Is It? — and Does It Matter?

Solar panel efficiency figures are hyped up by some vendors. But what do they represent? Should homeowners care about efficiency when choosing panels?

As part of his series explaining solar panels for homeowners, solar expert Andy Sendy explains what solar panel efficiency is all about.

Here are some of the points discussed in the video:

WHAT IS SOLAR PANEL EFFICIENCY?
→ Solar panel efficiency is the percentage of sunlight that’s converted to usable electricity.
→ The most efficient solar panel on the market right now has an efficiency rating of 22.7%. In other words, 22.7% of all sunlight that hits the panel is converted into electricity.
→ Most Tier 1 brands are slightly less efficient than that - they’re around 19.5-21.5% efficient.

DOES SOLAR PANEL EFFICIENCY MATTER?
→ The efficiency rating doesn’t tell you how much electricity the panel will produce; you actually find that out from the panel’s wattage rating.
→ All else equal, the only advantage of a more efficient panel is that it will take up slightly less space.
→ The most efficient panels generally command a huge premium.
→ In most cases, it’s not worth paying more for higher efficiency.

LEARN MORE
The most efficient solar panels: We’ve compiled a list of the most efficient solar panels currently available on the market: https://www.solarreviews.com/blog/wha...

Get a solar estimate: Use our advanced solar calculator to see how much solar panels for your home will cost, as well as how much money you stand to save: https://www.solarreviews.com/solar-ca...

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0:00 - Intro
0:13 - What is solar panel efficiency?
2:09 - How important is solar panel efficiency?
3:44 - Efficiency vs. Output
4:42 - When does panel efficiency matter?
5:52 - Should you pay more for high efficiency?
6:38 - Solar panel calculator