Panasonic’s claim of a 22.5% sunlight to electricity conversion rate was confirmed by the Japanese National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology.

Another day, another milestone passed in the never-ending pursuit of excellence in solar energy. Panasonic’s historic achievement came barely a week after their main competitor, SolarCity, announced that they had developed their own take on the world’s most efficient solar panel. Business rivalry aside, the trend is clear and it is good news for everyone — solar panel technology is continuing to improve with every passing day.

Playing the solar panel percentages

Increasing the efficiency of solar panels by even half a percentage point can result in massive gains over a solar panel’s lifetime. This is because a solar cell works every hour of every day for twenty-five years, so a little percentage point plus adds up to a big difference in the total amount of electricity generated for your home.

Panasonic’s new prototype is a 72-cell, 270-watt model that is built using crystalline silicon solar cells. These crystalline silicon cells are excellent for domestic rooftops because they are much more affordable to manufacture than other technologies. Silicon crystalline cells are currently the best technology available when it comes to the cost per watt ratio, which is why this announcement is big news for homeowners.

So what is the best solar panel on the market?

Panasonic’s record-breaking solar panel is a prototype, and not yet available for consumers. But it is ready for mass-production and able to generate electricity straight off the production line, which sets it apart from the 40% effective solar panels that scientists are already able to build, but are not yet able to mass produce.

We think that this solar panel will be a genuine contender for best solar panel on the market, but only if they are able to keep the price point down. We used to install plenty of Panasonic HIT-N240 hybrid solar panels, which operated at a cool 19% efficiency for the 230-watt model, but they’ve become expensive when compared to their rivals, particularly LG, so it’s been awhile since we last installed one. That said, Panasonic are a great manufacturer and we would be keen continue installing their products if the opportunity ever arose.

What impact will Panasonic’s new solar panel have on the market?

We currently install mainly LG solar panels, such as the MonoX, because their excellent efficiency, industry-leading warranties and affordable price all add up to give our customers the best possible deal. The new Panasonic panel will beat LG on efficiency, but price and durability are equally important factors. We can’t wait to get our first look at this new panel in the flesh so that we can come to a final decision on whether Panasonic’s new panel will truly be a gamechanger.

If you are looking to have a Panasonic solar panel installed, an LG solar panel installed, would like to have some solar hot water maintenance or are even interested in finding an underfloor heating supplier in Essex, get in touch with us over at [email protected].