What are the different grades of solar panels?

Solar panels are categorised into grades ranging from A to D, with the A-grade bracket further divided into A+ and A-. Understanding the grade of a solar PV panel is crucial in determining its quality and performance. In this article, we will provide an overview of the various solar panel grades and how to assess them.

What is the difference between Grade A and grade B solar cells?

Such modules usually have only a positive tolerance (i.e. the capacity of the modules is always higher than the passport one) and lower temperature coefficients. Grade B solar cells have visual defects and have a lower filling factor of the CVC characteristic: 0.4-0.7. Their price is usually a bit lower than that of the elements of Grade A.

Are Grade B solar panels worth it?

Grade B solar panels typically fall under the market value and are sold at lower prices than grade A solar panels. If you need solar panels for a countryside barn or remote location, or they’ll be far from prying eyes, they are great for performance at a reasonable price.

Are there different grade solar cells?

There’s a lot of confusion between different grade solar cells. Any deviation is often graded as B, however a correct classification is complicated because there are dozens of different solar cell defects that can occur. This post is a first attempt to design a classification (A, B, C, D) of solar cells, and is a summary of a more in-depth report.

Do grade B solar panels affect performance?

Grade B solar panels have some visual defects that do not affect performance. Grade B naturally falls below grade A in this grading system. So how does Grade B stack up against the other grades? Grade A solar panels are entirely free of defects. Grade B has some visual flaws but still meets performance standards.

Are Grade A solar panels a good choice?

Ultimately, it comes down to this: Grade A solar panels have no visual defects and meet performance standards. Grade B solar panels have some visible defects but meet performance standards. Grade C solar panels have visual defects and do not meet performance standards. Grade D solar panels are unusable, and entirely broken.