SunPower makes the best solar panels in the world and Kaco makes the best inverters in the world and Direct Power and Water makes the best mounting systems in the world, according to new research conducted by ENF among directors of photovoltaic installation companies in 45 different countries.
The directors were asked to name which brands of photovoltaic components they have purchased in the last 12 months, and rate the products for their quality and value for money. An average of these two scores has been used to find the companies whose customers thought most highly of their products.
The top ranking companies receiving awards are:
Solar Panels
No.1 in World – SunPower (USA)
No.2 in World – Schott Solar (Germany)
No.3 in World – SolarWorld (Germany)
Best Product Quality – Sanyo (Japan)
Best Value for Money – Suntech (China)
Solar Inverters
No.1 in World – Kaco (Germany)
No.2 in World – OutBack (USA)
No.3 in World – Mastervolt (USA)
Best Product Quality – OutBack (USA)
Best Value for Money – Kaco (Germany)
Solar Mounting Systems
No.1 in World – Direct Power and Water (USA)
No.2 in World – UniRac (USA)
No.3 in World – Schuco (Germany)
Solar Trackers
No.1 in World -? Zomeworks (USA)
Solar PV Systems
No.1 in World -? Sharp (Japan)
The research found that 49 percent of companies thought the cell brand in a panel was important, and the most commonly named cell brands that installation companies thought were high quality were Sharp, Q-Cells and BP Solar.
Another key finding was that the average price installers paid for their solar panels in 2006 was $4.16 per Watt. Installers in Europe paid on average 10 percent more for their panels than installers in Asia Pacific.