Should You Bother Getting Chinese Solar Panels?

When making the decision to buy solar panels, many people consider buying their panels from China because they’re often cheaper. However, many other people say, “Should I bother getting Chinese solar panels? Won’t they just fall apart really fast?” In this blog, we’ll dissect that issue and find out if it’s true that Chinese panels are actually worse quality, or if you should save your money by opting for the Chinese version of the same panel as the one you’re looking at getting.

Low production costs mean lower priced products.

It is, in fact, true that China often offers lower-priced panels than their American counterparts. But the reason for that isn’t necessarily because they’re worse quality. Usually, it’s because their production costs are so much lower than in other countries. This allows them to offer far lower prices, getting them more customers, and allowing them to continue to keep their prices lower.

Unfortunately, Trump levied a 30% tariff in January of this year, which will last four years and has increased some of the prices of these panels. But still, they’re generally lower, and the initial anxiety over these solar tariffs turned out to not be as serious as many people worried it would be.

Solar panels range in quality no matter which country you buy them from.

When talking about the quality of Chinese solar panels, it’s important to not lump an entire country’s industry altogether. No matter which country you buy your panels from, there’s going to be a range of efficiencies and prices, and that is based on the company, not the country in which the company resides.

There are two things to keep in mind when you are looking at solar panels from various countries:

1. The large majority of solar manufacturing occurs in Asia and the top 3 solar panel brands by market share are producing their products in China (Trina, SunPower, Yingli Solar).
2. Solar panels of all ranges in quality (Economy, Standard, Premium) are made in China so there is no current correlation between the level of panel quality and whether it’s produced in China or in a different country.

While many people believe they should only buy products that say “Made in the USA,” the real concern is just getting people to get renewable energy in general. If getting a cheaper system from China is more feasible for your financial situation, the important thing at the end of the day is that you go solar, so you shouldn’t feel like you have to buy your panels from an American company.

Other considerations to make when buying solar panels.

There are other, more important, considerations you should make when you buy solar panels that are much more important than where your panels originate from.

For starters, you should get multiple quotes from multiple different companies. Whether those companies are American, Chinese, German, or a mixture of a bunch of different companies from various countries, shopping around for various quotes will often save you 10% or more.

You should also make sure you check out smaller manufacturers, as they often offer the best prices, contrary to popular belief. Regardless of which country they’re in, a smaller company is likely to offer you better quotes as they attempt to get their business off the ground.

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