Where Can You Find the Best Solar Panels? Solar power is still a relatively new innovation, and it can be overwhelming trying to understand which solar panels are the best. It's important to recognize your priorities: if you're not overly concerned with maximum output and you want to stay on budget, you could choose something less efficient and still be happy with your solar storage system.
Average
Alexey Kruglove started Florida-based A1 Solar Store in 2017 to make solar panels available to the average consumer and to educate people about solar energy. Since he started the company, he has written many articles and guides about solar energy.
Very good prices
A1 Solar Store is known for its competitive pricing - most customers are really happy with the savings they experience from shopping at A1 Solar Store's clearance, discounts, and whole pallet deals. "Solarheads" have been known to recommend A1 Solar to friends and family who are looking to set up solar panels as an energy storage solution. You can get a pallet of JA Solar 500-watt bifacial panels with 144 cells for $0.37 per watt. The priciest option for solar panels that was available in our area was priced at $223 but was on sale for $186 - for a 430-watt Jinko solar panel with 108 cells.
Easy-to-navigate website
A1 Solar Store upgraded their website, and now it's really easy to navigate. The filtering system is really helpful - lots of criteria make it easy to find what inventory is located near you or has the ability to ship to you. You can set up a price range, power output, brand, number of cells, whether or not the panel is compatible with EcoFlow, and whether or not it's made in the USA. A1 Solar Store lists your results by category: clearance, 400-watt panels, US-made, wholesale, commercial, and bestsellers.
Free shipping on 12 or more items
A1 Solar Store ships through freight carriers like XPO, FedEx, ODFL, and R&L to get your order to you as soon as possible. All of the solar panels are shipped for curbside delivery, which means generally that they will deliver a pallet to the end of your driveway. They aren't responsible for bringing the pallet up your driveway or on your property, and you will have to get on the truck and unload it yourself from the height of the truck. If you need them to lower your pallet off the truck, you will need to pay an additional $99. You can get free shipping on some panels when you purchase more than 12 items.
Free shipping on select items
A1 Solar also offers to ship batteries, inverters, charge controllers, and add-ons with FedEx Ground free of charge. However, the risk in small orders is that they are more easily damaged. Just remember not to sign the delivery slip until you've inspected all of your panels - you can't make a claim easily if you don't note damages on the bill of lading.
Wire transfers or Zelle preferred
We have read several reports that customers were uncomfortable with A1 Solar's checkout process. They complained that payment methods like PayPal or credit card were not able to process, thus leaving customers with the option of wire transfer or Zelle. The problem with these forms of payment is that it is like cash - you can't get it back if there is a problem with non-delivery or wanting to receive a refund. Be aware that A1 Solar tacks on a credit card processing fee if you can get that payment option to work.
Really invasive requests for personal information
We don't feel comfortable with these payment methods, especially coupled with the fact that you are then required to send a photo of your driver's license and a selfie photo along with other sensitive data. One customer explained how they felt about this process: "This is more invasive than opening up an online Bitcoin trading account... all for a basic cash-and-carry online merchandise transaction. No way am I going to arm some random sketchy online retailer with that kind of info. Want my social and mother's maiden too?" We also noticed that in order to get to the shopping, we had to add our email address to see pricing and shipping.
Great value, but big security concerns
We loved the prices and the website layout - and we were happy to see that most customers really had a nice experience with A1 Solar Store. However, their response to issues such as damaged panels, delays, or no-shows appears to be inconsistent. We would have rated them higher if not for the invasive data collection and reviews mentioning problems with payments if they aren't Zelle or wire transfers.
Continued from above...
Solar power is still a relatively new innovation, and it can be overwhelming trying to understand which solar panels are the best. It's important to recognize your priorities: if you're not overly concerned with maximum output and you want to stay on budget, you could choose something less efficient and still be happy with your solar storage system.
If you've decided to do it yourself, you may want to consider a company that also sells the compatible parts you will need when setting up your solar storage system. This way, you can know that all parts will work together. Another thing to consider as a DIYer is whether the company offers tech or permitting support. You may also want a company that can work with you to design a plan that would include helping you with the necessary permits and interconnection if you want to be hooked up to the electrical grid to receive rebates.
There are four common types of solar panels: monocrystalline, which are made from a single source of silicon; polycrystalline, which are made up of silicon pieces all melted together; thin-film solar panels, which are somewhat flexible and lightweight; and PERC panels, which use silicon backing to make them more efficient. Monocrystalline PERC panels will be your most efficient choice, but also your most expensive.
The majority of solar panels available in the United States come from China. This is important to remember when shopping for solar panels, especially if you are doing your solar project on your own and not through an installation service. Most solar panel companies often run low on stock, and it takes a bit of time for shipping, as the panels come from the other side of the globe.
There are some solar panel companies that offer panels made in the United States; however, they are generally going to be more expensive than their Chinese-made and -assembled counterparts.
At this point, things may seem pretty daunting to the uninitiated, but we're here to help. Here are some questions to ask yourself as you consider which solar panel company you should choose:
To assist you in finding the best solar panels for your needs, Top Consumer Reviews has curated and ranked a list of companies for you to shop from. We're confident that this list will make your solar panel shopping experience brighter!
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