What to Look For in a local solar company

With so many local solar company panels on the market today, it’s difficult to determine the good ones from the bad ones. There are two main types of solar panels that are being manufactured and sold in the market; monocrystalline and polycrystalline. The better the panel, the more efficiently it can turn the sun’s energy into electricity. But this also means that these panels are more expensive to purchase.

What makes a panel more efficient?

It’s in the silicon content. The more continuous the sheet of silicon is, the more productive the panel becomes. Monocrystalline, for example, is made of one continuous sheet of silicon. Because these panels don’t have crystals that are broken up, it makes the panel bigger in size. If space is a concern a roof, monocrystalline panels solve that problem. This basically means: more wattage is produced per square foot.
Polycrystalline are easier to produce and cost less to manufacture. They are made up of multiple crystals instead of just one, like the monocrystalline. They’re more affordable, but not as efficient as monocrystalline panels.

Does the tolerance of a panel make a difference?

YES. When a PV panel is manufactured, it’s given a “nameplate” with the amount of wattage that it can produce. For example, a local solar company panel’s nameplate that shows 250 watts can produce that amount of wattage in optimum conditions (placement and weather).

What about grading?

A “Grade B” local solar company panel has a tolerance of plus or minus 3%. This means that regardless of the nameplate, this ring solar panel could produce either 3% +/- the wattage that’s listed. So, if you have your entire PV system made up of Grade B panels, you could potentially be producing much less energy than you thought.
A “premium” grade panel is guaranteed to produce the wattage on its nameplate or 5% over. This means that you’re getting the most for your money and the panels aren’t producing less than estimated.
If you want to have the best PV solar installation placed on your roof, make sure you’re investigating the type of panel being used and the amount of tolerance the panel itself has. Creating an efficient, high producing PV system isn’t cheap by any means. There are many options for homeowners and businesses to look into when thinking of going solar. Look for solar companies that have created a simplistic and effective way for producing solar energy for their consumers. See how they can take care of you in the sense of solar options, payments, and placement of the panels.