Residential Solar Panels

Installing solar panels at home becomes more and more popular as the prices for PV modules fall and electricity rates go up. What solar panels should you choose for your house? In this section of our website, you can find a variety of residential solar panels and learn more about them. 

How long do residential solar panels last?

The average lifetime of a solar panel is about 25 years. Many solar panels come with product warranties from 10 to 25 years. 

Panels slowly degrade over their lifetime. On average a residential solar panel loses about 1-3% of its output in the first year in service and about 0.7-0.8% annually in the subsequent years. The most modern solar panels from Sunpower, REC and Panasonic lose about 0.25% per year. 

A solar panel always comes with a product warranty and performance warranty that guarantees that the production of a solar panel won’t drop below a certain threshold over the years. Usually, the performance warranty is issued for 25 years for standard residential solar panels and for 30 years for bifacial PV modules. 

How much do residential solar panels cost?

The residential solar panels’ cost depends on a variety of factors, such as brand, power output, place, and the warranties that come along. Chinese-made panels are the cheapest while European and American-made panels are more expensive. At A1 SolarStore, you can check the current residential solar panels' price on each panel’s page of our website — it is always up to date. 

How do residential solar panels work?

The way your home solar system is going to work primarily depends on the way you’re going to set it up. There are three common configurations for solar systems:

• Grid-tie solar system is the most popular configuration. With this design, you can use electricity either from grid or from your solar panels. You can sell excess electricity to your utility to reduce your electric bill. This configuration is vulnerable to power outages though.
• Off grid solar system is the configuration for houses in remote locations where the grid is not available. Mobile installations such as RV or boat systems can be considered off-grid as well. You rely solely on your residential solar panels for home and batteries in this case.
• Hybrid system combines the two together: you are connected to the grid and you can sell excess energy to your utility. Battery backup protects you from power outages. 

Best residential solar panels

 What are the best PV modules that you can use for your home? Let’s look at a few residential solar panels for sale that can become a good choice for you.

REC Alpha Pure Black

This 132-cell solar panel from REC has several variations from 385W to 405W. The efficiency of these panels goes as high as 21.9%. It ages slowly and loses only 0.25% of its output per year. The panel comes with 25-year warranties for product, performance and labor if the installed is REC-certified. 

Q.PEAK DUO BLK ML-G9

A great solar panel for home, Q.Peak DUO black has an all-black design and provides up to 395W power output. Q CELLS panels are in general very popular among our customers. They have a great reputation, good performance, and the prices are very close to the average cost of residential solar panels on the market. 

Canadian Solar 400W CS1Y-400MS

The Canadian Solar HiDM5 stands out as an all-encompassing solution for various applications, featuring an elegant all-black design. Delivering a robust 400W power output with an impressive 19.9% efficiency, this panel excels in cold, snowy environments, boasting resilience against a 5400 Pa snow load and a 2400 Pa wind load.

Equipped with three bypass diodes and enhanced shading tolerance, the HiDM5 ensures optimal performance. Its distinctive all-black aesthetic adds a touch of sophistication to any roof it graces. Additionally, purchasers benefit from a 15-year product warranty covering material and workmanship, along with a 25-year performance warranty, making the Canadian Solar HiDM5 a reliable and visually appealing choice.