Reasons Not to Buy Cheap Solar Panels

Cutting corners when it comes to cost might be possible in certain instances, but certainly not when it comes to investing in solar panels.

Investing in solar is something that will pay off for many, many years to come, but only if you use the right solar installer, and don’t scrimp on the cost of panels by purchasing inferior, lower quality ones. With the potential for design flaws that can lead to a reduction in solar production, and worthless warranties, cheap solar panels simply aren’t worth the risk, and here are 6 reasons why:

1. Micro-cracks – as a result of poor handling or rough shipping, micro-cracks can easily appear on solar panels, which can lead to permanent shorts in the panels and even have the potential make them catch fire.

• Panel hot-spots – solar panels of a lower quality can cause heat to build-up and the panels to expand, which can also cause the glass of the panel to shatter.

• Delaminating – watch out for panels imported from China that may bear a brand sounding as if they have been made in Europe, when actually they’re inferior quality and often suffer from water ingress and delamination. This can have a significant impact on both immediate and long-term solar production.

• Bad warranties – if you purchase solar panels from a brand without an established reputation, they may include warranties that they’re not likely to honor, especially if they’ve gone bust and no longer exist!

• Poor quality panels –at the end of the build process, cracks in the cells of a poor quality panel might be detected in electroluminescence tests. It’s also possible for cheaper panels to become damaged during transportation if not secured properly. Any damage on a solar panel can cause dangerous hot spots that significantly increase the risk of them catching fire.

• Unprofessional installation – a company that doesn’t take the time to properly install your solar panels, will inevitably cause you problems further down the line. From screws that haven’t been fixed properly, to cable entries that aren’t properly routed, poor installation is never going to work in your favor.

Fortunately, all of the problems listed above can be avoided altogether by simply choosing an experienced solar installation company with a good reputation.

Because solar panels are such a significant investment, it really doesn’t pay to buy cheap ones in the hope that with a smaller initial pay-out, you’ll save money. The opposite is in fact, usually the case, and cheap panels invariably end up costing the homeowner even more than they would have paid if purchasing high quality panels from a high quality installer in the first instance.