Leading Solar Panels

BETTER DESIGNS – HIGHER YIELDS – GREATER RETURNS

There are dozens of manufacturers throughout Europe, the world and especially China, just Click a heading below for details

WHICH SOLAR PANEL IS BEST FOR ME?

There are dozens of manufacturers of Solar Panels throughout the world, mostly Chinese (Find out more here) but there UK and European ones as well, so a huge choice. If you look on the internet you may well find a product or model that is not available in the UK.

Types of panel – in the UK we primarily install either MONO or POLY there are more details about all the PV types here – Find out more

To answer this question there are many considerations therefore so which is best depends on your preferences and requirements.

The best thing to do is talk with us and we can guide you to your best choice – 01386 80 2020 ask for Peter Read or Vince Smith.
MANUFACTURERS AVAILABLE IN THE UK

This is not the complete list by any means but these are the brands that we have used or are available in the UK. A UK base is important in case of support or warranty issues. Here are some :

In addition there is
Sunsolar – made in Birmingham
Pangea 833– made in Spain

So if you have a particular panel in mind please talk to us, our supply chain mean we are able to source any panel.

*-NB In May 2017 SolarWorld of Germany declared insolvency.
WHAT IS TIER 1 - IS IT BEST?

There is an international graduation & measurement process called \”Tiering\”. Tier 1 is A method of grading Solar PV manufacturer\’s products but does not equate to the best or most reliable or most productive. It\’s a bit like saying that one Premier League football team is \’Best\’. A document from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) published in November 2016 states :

\”This classification is purely a measure of industry acceptance, and there are many documented examples of quality issues or bankruptcy of tier 1 manufacturers\”.

A lot of the information used in Tiering process is subjective and opinion based in regard to bankability. We therefore recommend the same purchasing advice given in the BNEF document:

\”We strongly recommend that module purchasers and banks do not use this list as a measure of quality, but instead consult a technical due diligence firm such as OST Energy, Sgurr Energy, DNV GL, Black & Veatch, TUV, E3, STS Certified, Clean Energy Associates, Solarbuyer, Enertis or Leidos Engineering. These would usually consider what factory the module comes from, as well as the brand, and give an informed opinion on whether the modules will perform as expected.\”
HOW BIG ARE THEY?

Solar Panels do not have standard dimensions; however the average is around 1.65 x 1.0m. The power rating for this size range is about 250 – 300w. There are higher wattage panels, 300+watts, but they are physically larger.
The Panasonic panels are specialist high density ones, about 1.0 x 0.8 m, but at a price, approximately THREE times the cost per square meter of roof.

If you are trying to squeeze the maximum output from a small area, Panasonic panels can be a solution.
WHAT COLOUR ARE THEY?
WEIGHT & STRENGTH

On average panels are about 18-20 Kilos. They are a glass sandwich, back pane, backing sheet – black or white, then the cells themselves, blue through to black and then a front pane. All in an aluminium frame to enable carriage and mounting.
The panels are therefore 7-8mm of laminated glass, so very strong and actually stronger & more resilient than the roof on which they are most usually mounted!

$\"\"$
CERTIFICATION

Every Solar Panel installed and connected to the UK grid has to comply with Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) tests and regulations and hence be approved. Other country approval schemes are all very nice but do not qualify a panel for UK use.

You can check here to confirm that a particular panel is approved to be connected to the UK grid MCS Solar PV Product search

If you do try out the MCS product search, be aware that there can be very minor differences in a particular manufacturers product specification or model code that can then mean that a model is not accredited. If you are unsure please talk to us 01386 80 2020

Leading Solar Panels

Contact.

Site Map.