Looking for information on the best solar modules on the market in 2023?
This page serves as an update on our earlier article regarding the methods we use at Modern Outpost to select from the many brands of solar modules on the market today. Which manufacturers are the most transparent regarding their production process? Which modules are the most reliable and well-built. Our hope is that after reading this article, and our earlier article regarding how to choose, you will be able to make an informed decision about your investment in solar.
The Top Performers in 2023
There are a growing number of modules on the market, so how is anyone supposed to make sense of the various technologies and choose between makes & models? Thanks to the internet, it is quite easy to research company websites, read industry reviews (stay away from biased opinion blogs!), and brush off your dusty physics.
However, in addition to this background research, you can rely on the technical investigations performed by PV Evolution Labs (PVEL.com). They randomly select modules off the assembly line and then put them through a series of accelerated environmental tests & stresses to see how they fare. The results are always interesting.
In PVEL’s 2023 Scorecard, the following brands continue to be top performers…
REC, Trina, Jinko, JA Solar, Hanwha Q.Cells, SEG, Canadian, (among others)
While REC, Trina, Jinko, JA, and QCells are consistently top performers year-after-year, this was only Canadian’s second appearance on the list. And, suspiciously absent from the 2023 list is LONGi… we’re not sure what caused LONGi’s fall from grace, but the value brand will surely be trying to make amends for 2024.
So, review spec sheets, look for quality clues like temperature coefficients, manufacturing and safety certifications, and most of all, trust organizations that actually test these modules to the extreme.
Top In Ethics
We all vote with our dollars. So why not reward companies that are actually trying to reduce their environmental footprint? Who runs their manufacturing plants with solar power? Who has proper waste handling? Who takes care of their employees? Who avoids exotic chemicals and elements? Who is helping to develop recycling programs?
The source for this information is TheSolarScorecard.
This is the former project by the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition. Every 2 years they issue a new scorecard report highlighting the companies that are at least trying to be transparent about their impacts.
REC, Trina, Jinko, JA, and Hanwha QCells are consistently in the top-5.
Longi struggles with this scorecard, and Canadian refuses to participate (so far).
Questions?
If you have any questions regarding any information on this page, we’d love to hear from you.