Best Solar Panels and Inverters Brands of 2024
One of the most important parts of choosing solar equipment is having confidence that the manufacturer will be around in 25-30 years to honor their warranties. This is known as bankability.
While only 0.05% of solar panels fail, lost energy production is lost money, so it’s worth sticking with solar panel and inverter brands best known for their reliability.
To identify the best solar panel and inverter brands for bankability, we looked to homeowners like you, and which equipment they selected over the last year. After all, nothing says trust like buying thousands of dollars in product.
So, we analyzed every sale made on the solar.com marketplace in the last 12 months to identify the best brands of solar panels and inverters heading into 2024.
Best solar panel brands of 2024
The people have spoken. REC and Q Cells were clearly the preferred brands of solar panels in 2023 and were selected in nearly 75% of sales on the solar.com marketplace.
Panasonic was a distant third place with 9.3% market share, followed by 11 brands that were selected less than 5% of the time.
| Rank | Brand | Share of total sales on solar.com marketplace |
| 1 | REC | 40.6% |
| 2 | Q Cells | 32.8% |
| 3 | Panasonic | 9.3% |
| 4 | SEG Solar | 4.5% |
| 5 | Canadian Solar | 3.8% |
| 6 | Solaria | 3.5% |
| 7 | Silfab | 1.5% |
| 8 | Aptos Solar | 1.3% |
| 9 | Hyundai | 0.7% |
| 10 | LONGi Solar | 0.3% |
| 11 | VSUN | 0.3% |
| 12 | Mission Solar Energy | 0.2% |
| 13 | Ureco | 0.1% |
| 14 | Jinko Solar | 0.1% |
Now, there is something to be said about panel availability and supply chain disruptions in 2022 and 2023. Simply put, installers weren’t always able to stock certain brands, which limited choices for consumers.
But, there’s also something to be said for being able to supply product in those conditions, which REC, Q Cells, and Panasonic were clearly able to do. Let’s take a look at the three best solar panel brands of 2024 to see what makes them stand out to homeowners and installers.
REC
Founded in Norway in 1996, REC recently celebrated its 25th anniversary as a solar company. That’s especially impressive given solar panels weren’t put on roofs until 1973.
REC has four series of premium residential solar panels, all with 25-year performance warranties and 25-year product warranties (if installed by an REC Certified Solar Professional installer).
| Series | Power Output (Watts) | Efficiency | Power after 25-years |
| Alpha Pure-R | 400-430 W | 20.7% – 22.3% | 92% |
| Alpha Pure | 390-410 W | 21.1% – 22.2% | 92% |
| N-Peak 2 | 250-370 W | 19.1% – 20.3% | 92% |
| Twinpeak 4 | 355-370 W | 19.4% – 20.3% | 86% |
While REC solar panels are a premium and highly bankable product, they are also competitively priced, making them the clear top choice for consumers and the best solar panel brand of 2022.
Q Cells
Founded in 1999 in Germany, Q Cells is one of the largest solar panel manufacturers in the world and a popular choice among homeowners.
Q Cells has two series of residential solar panels, each with 25-year product and performance warranties.
| Series | Power Output (Watts) | Efficiency | Power after 25-years |
| Q.Peak Duo BLK ML-G10+ | 385-405 W | Up to 20.6% | 86% |
| Q.Peak Duo BLK-G10+ | 350-370 W | Up to 20.6% | 86% |
Q Cells’ recently announced its $2.5 billion investment in a manufacturing complex in Georgia, due largely to incentives created by the Inflation Reduction Act. It will be interesting to see how having a manufacturing presence in the United States affects its brand equity in the future.
Even without the US factory, Q Cells is one of the best solar panel brands of 2022 and a popular choice for American homeowners.
Panasonic
Panasonic began making solar panels in 1975, making it the oldest solar manufacturer on the list.
Its EverVolt® Series is a popular choice due to high efficiency, low degradation, and bankable 25-year warranties.
| Series | Power Output | Efficiency | Power after 25-years |
|
EverVolt® |
150-410 W | 19.2% – 22.2% | 86% – 92% |
It is worth noting that Panasonic shuttered its internal solar panel manufacturing division in 2022 and will continue selling Panasonic-brand panels through a third-party manufacturer. It will continue to honor the warranties on panels for existing customers.
According to a press release:
“While there are some changes happening “behind the scenes,” everything about how installers and consumers experience Panasonic Solar is staying the same, including the 25-year warranty, commitment to product quality and high level of service people have come to expect from us.”
It will be interesting to see how the change in manufacturer affects one of the best solar panel brands of 2022.
Related Reading: How To Choose Solar Panels for Your Home
Best solar inverter brands of 2024
Inverters are a crucial and often overlooked part of a home solar system. After all, solar panels produce DC electricity and your house runs on AC. Inverters are the forgotten middle child that makes the equation work.
Once again, the people have spoken. When it comes to the best inverter brands of 2024, Enphase and SolarEdge are the clear favorites. These two brands alone were selected for over 98% of solar projects in the last year.
Enphase Microinverters
Founded in California in 2006, Enphase is the clear leader in microinverter and performance monitoring technology. Unlike a single string inverter unit, individual microinverters are attached to each solar panel and convert electricity before it leaves the panel. Learn more about microinverters vs string inverters here.
Enphase microinverters were selected in over 75% of sales in the solar.com marketplace in the last 12 months, and 75% of those were from the IQ8 series.
IQ8’s come with an industry-leading 25-year warranty and have proven to have a very low failure rate, making Enphase the best solar inverter brand of 2024.
SolarEdge String Inverters
Also founded in 2006, Israel-based SolarEdge is Enphase’s toughest competition for the best solar inverter brand of 2024.
SolarEdge’s HD Wave Series string inverter is more cost-effective for homeowners without shade issues. And by attaching optimizers to each panel it can work like a microinverter system to combat shading and monitor each panel individually.
With a 12-year warranty that’s extendable up to 25 years, SolarEdge is clearly the best brand for string inverters heading into 2024.
The bottom line
Going solar is a long and major investment, so it’s only natural to seek out the best equipment to maximize your savings.
In the last 12 months, REC, Q Cells, and Panasonic stood out as the best brands for solar panels, while Enphase and SolarEdge were the best brands for inverters.
Will this list change as more solar manufacturing moves to America? We can’t wait to find out!
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