LONGi Solar panels review 2023: 7th giant

A name from the list of Top-10 world’s solar brands, LONGi Solar has been called the fastest-growing PV manufacturer at times. What kind of panels does it offer and what are its strengths? We’ll go over every detail in our LONGi Solar panels review.

LONGi Solar specializes in monocrystalline wafers

LONGi Solar was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Xi'an, China. It’s one of the world's largest manufacturers of monocrystalline silicon wafers. At times, it has been labeled the fastest-growing solar company in the industry. For example, in 2016 the annual revenue from selling photovoltaics was $1.67 billion. That was a nearly 94% increase over the 2015 fiscal year, which had itself generated revenue growth of around 61% over the year before.

Longi Silicon is a member of the Silicon Module Super League (SMSL), the group of the world’s largest photovoltaics suppliers. The original six members are Canadian Solar, Hanwha Q CELLS, JA Solar, Jinko Solar, Trina Solar and Yingli Solar. LONGi was inducted into the League in 2016.

LONGi Solar panels cost less and age slower

LONGI Solar focuses on manufacturing monocrystalline PV cells and panels. The company also offers building-integrated photovoltaic solutions (BIPVs) and alkaline water electrolyzers.

Chinese-made panels are the cheapest and LONGi Solar offers budget-friendly PV modules and silicon wafers. You can find their panels in the US for $ 0.7 to $ 0.9 per watt, before installation services. This is much lower than, for example, North American-made panels.

LONGI Solar panels show good efficiency and reach up to 22.6% conversion rate. The engineers make use of the latest technologies such as multibusbars, half-cut cells, PERCs and N-type cells. The more efficient your panels are, the less space your system requires.

The panels from LONGi Solar come with a 12-year product warranty. The latest panels from the Hi-MO 6 product line get a 15-year warranty. Monofacial modules get a 25-year output warranty, bifacial modules have a 30-year guarantee.

LONGi Solar engineers dope PV cells with gallium which decreases their performance drop in the first year of operation below 2% and below 1.5% with Hi-MO 6 panels. The average degradation date of LONGi Solar panels is around -0.5% per year. The panels retain around 85% of their initial production after 25 years.

LONGi Solar: pros

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What makes LONGi Solar panels stand out? Here is the list of their biggest advantages:
1. LONGi Solar panels reach up to 22.6% conversion rate. High efficiency means that they can generate more power per ft² than lower efficiency panels, making them a good choice for homes and businesses with limited roof space.
2. LONGi Solar panels prices are low. They come at $0.7-0.9 per watt before installation services.
3. The degradation rate of LONGi Solar panels is lower than average. Gallium-doped cells lose less than 2% in the first year of operation. From year 2 to 25, the average degradation rate is at around 0.5% per year.

LONGi Solar: cons

Let’s list some disadvantages of Chinese panels as well so no one can say that we are biased.
1. Generic warranties. LONGi Solar panels come with 12-year product warranties which is standard for Chinese PV modules. The latest panels from the Hi-MO 6 product line get a 15-year warranty. The best brands like Panasonic or REC offer a 25-year product warranty though.
2. Limited availability. LONGi Solar is a Chinese brand which means that their panels can be hard to come by in the US.

LONGi Solar panels overview: For home and business

Time to look at the best panels made by LONGi Solar. Our engineer picked a few models that he likes and shared his opinion about them.

Hi-MO 5m 425 W — Well-rounded and versatile

Hi-MO 5m is a PV module for residential and small commercial projects from LONGi Solar. It provides up to 425 W power output with 21.8% efficiency. Half-cut cell design reduces power losses caused by shading. Gallium-doped cells lose less than 2% of their output in the first year of operation. The panel retains over 84.8% output by the end of year 25.

Hi-MO 6 585 W — Explorer, Scientist, Guardian, Artist

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Hi-MO 6 came out in the beginning of 2023 and it’s the most modern panel made by LONGi Solar yet. The model has four variations: Explorer, Scientist, Guardian, Artist. They have different designs and features: for example, Guardian has a built-in optimizer and Artist comes in different colors.

The Scientist is a panel for large commercial and industrial installations. One module provides up to 585 W with 22.6% efficiency — the highest number for LONGi Solar panels. It retains 88.9% of power after 25 years in service. The panel comes with a 15-year product warranty and a 25-year output guarantee.

Hi-MO 5 545 W Bifacial — Make it double

A bifacial panel from LONGi Solar is designed for large commercial and industrial installations. An active rear side provides up to a 25% bonus to front-side production. The panel can reach up to 681 W output. Gallium-doped cell technology lowers LID degradation and guarantees the reliable power generation of the module.

A1SolarStore recommends LONGi Solar 350 W LNG-350-LR4-HPB

LONGi 350 W solar panels are a good choice for building a standard home system. The panel provides 350 W output with 20.3% efficiency. It performs well in low-light conditions and lasts longer than your average panel. In the first year the panel loses no more than 2% and from year 2 to 25 the average degradation rate is 0.55%.

A1SolarStore verdict: Doing well so far

We’ve talked about the specifications and pricing of LONGi Solar panels, their pros and cons and even looked at some models that the company offers. Let’s list down the most important point about the brand:
• LONGi Solar is a Chinese brand founded in 2000.
• It specializes in monocrystalline wafers (solar cells) and it offers monocrystalline panels for all kinds of applications. It also manufactures building-integrated photovoltaic solutions (BIPVs) and alkaline water electrolyzers.
• The panels from LONGI Solar reach 22.6% efficiency.
• They are fairly cheap and come at $0.7-0.9 per watt in the US before installation services.
• PV modules come with a 12-year product warranty and a 25-year output warranty, with the exception of Hi-MO 6 panels which get a 15-year product warranty. Bifacial panels receive 30-year output coverage.
• The panels show degradation rates of around 0.5% per year which is slightly lower than average. Gallium-doped cells lose less production in the first in service than average.
• The latest addition to the LONGi Solar product line is Hi-MO 6 panels. The variation called ‘Artist’ comes in different colors.

Overall, we could say that LONGi Solar is a solid brand with affordable and high-quality panels. And it’s no surprise: you can’t reach the top of the solar industry without making your product competitive in every way. On that, we end our LONGi Solar panel review 2023 and we’ll be back with more.

Compare LONGi to other popular brands:

☀️ LG solar panels vs LONGi Solar: side-by-side comparison
☀️ REC solar panels vs LONGi Solar
☀️ Canadian Solar panels vs LONGi Solar panels
☀️ Trina solar panels vs LONGi
☀️ Panasonic solar panels vs LONGi

Andrey Gorichenski

Associate Editor

Andrey had been a news editor and freelance writer for a number of medias before joining A1SolarStore team. Climate change and its impact on people's lives has always been among his interests and it partially explains his degree in Philosophy and Ethics.

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