Most of us need to find cheap solar panels if we are to afford Solar Energy Homes.

Usually the biggest obstacle preventing us installing solar panels is the cost.  Yes, we want to help save the planet, we want our children and grandchildren to enjoy the countryside, we want to cut our carbon footprint, but we simply cannot afford it.

Well the good news is that you can get cheap solar panels for under $3 per watt, half the price of most solar panels available retail.  You don’t have to buy dozens of them and many of these are UL certified (see below for the significance of this).  Cheap does not have to mean poor quality – far from it.  It is just a matter of knowing where to look and being patient!

UL Certification

Before we look at where to buy cheap solar panels for our Solar Energy Homes, let’s have a quick word about UL certification.

If you want your solar panels to be connected to the electricity Grid, your solar panels MUST have UL certification

If you want you solar panels to qualify for government rebates and tax incentives, your solar panels MUST have UL certification.

However, UL certification is still not a guarantee that you your panels are approved by your state.  You need to find out which panels qualify for rebates where you live.  This really is vital – you don’t want to spend $10,000 on solar panels only to find out afterwards that they don’t qualify.  Keep in mind that tax grants, rebates etc. can add up to a lot of money.

If on the other hand you want to buy solar panels for an off grid installation and are not looking to claim the financial incentives on offer, you don’t have to get UL certified solar panels.  But keep in mind that panels get UL certification because they meet a certain standard.  As a general rule, I would recommend that you play safe and get UL certified panels, even if you don’t actually have to.

Where to Get Cheap Solar Panels.

There are 3 options:

• Retail - see our article on “The Real Cost of Solar Panel”.  The best retail deals are (in Oct 2009) at Amazon, where a 120 watt UL panel is at $358, which works out at $3 per watt.  Other retailers were typically charging $5 – $7.30 per watt, so you can see the Amazon deal looks very good.  Check out this Amazon link for more details of this very good retail buy.
• Wholesale – see our article “Buying Solar Panels Wholesale”.  Some wholesalers have minimum order quantities as low as 2 panels and will deliver directly to your house.  Costs range from $1.85 to $4.76 per watt.  Wholesale can be VERY attractive if you can find what you are looking for at less than $2.75 per watt.
• eBay - the place to buy cheap solar panels is to look at eBay. Lets look at this in more detail.

Buying Cheap Solar Panels from eBay

Buying from eBay is not the same as buying from a wholesaler or retailer.  You have to approach it differently if you don’t want to pay more than you should.  (If you are an eBay veteran forgive me if I am teaching Granny to suck eggs).

With eBay you must be PATIENT

Be patient when looking for solar panels on eBay.  My observation is that many suppliers are just plain greedy and are expecting way too much for their panels.  So take a few days to monitor eBay.  Click on this eBay link and you will go straight to the Solar Panels for sale section on eBay and be able to view the current auctions.  Take your time to see what becomes available for sale.  It can take a few days to a week or more before some decent solar panels come up for auction with realistic prices.  To give you an indication of what you should expect to pay I have listed below some examples of recent auctions on eBay in early Oct 09.  Click on the link below to visit the eBay site and see the solar panels currently for sale.

Please note: I have no connection with any suppliers on eBay.

Examples of eBay Solar Panel Prices

As you can see, it was possible to buy a 117watt UL certified solar panel for $220, including shipping, this works out at under $1.90 per watt.  This is a truly excellent price with no minimum order quantity.

Only Buy Qualifying Solar Panels

Unless you are looking for off grid solar energy, make sure you only buy those panels that qualify for rebates where you live (see above for details).  If a panel has UL certification you can be sure the supplier will tell you about it big bold letters!  If nothing is stated, assume the panel has no UL certificate.

“Sun Modules are Used for Off-Grid Applications”.  A number of product descriptions contain this phrase or something similar.  Assume these solar panels do not have UL certification.  Do NOT buy these if you want to use them are part of a grid tie system.

Buy Sufficient Quantity – Don’t Mix Your Solar Panels

Unless you are going to use micro-inverters, you should avoid having different types of solar panels wired together on an array.  Therefore, when you buy from eBay, make sure you get as many panels as you are going to need, as there is a possibility that this is the last time you will see those particular solar panels for sale.

Personally, I prefer the Buy It Now sales, as long as prices are competitive.  With Buy It Now, they usually tell you how many are available or at least state that the quantity available is more than 10.  If you are looking to buy quite a few panels, contact the seller to see what deal can be done.

Guarantees & Warranties

Make sure you get a decent warranty.  Your cheap solar panels should have the following as a minimum:

• 25 Year power generation at 80% of the rated power
• 10 Year power generation at 90% of the rated power
• 2 year product materials and workmanship defects warranty

Warnings Re. Buying from Asia & China

If you are tempted to buy directly from an overseas supplier such as one based in China, check the warranty very carefully.  Typically it will be limited to just 1 year.  If you want a refund you have to pay for the return shipping to China.  Personally, where possible, I would prefer to buy from a supplier based within my country and have the reassurance that if something goes wrong there is a national supplier I can turn to for redress.

Don’t Forget to Add Shipping

Shipping prices vary considerably and can make what seems to be a bargain into a bit of a lemon.  So make sure you know what the shipping costs are before buying.  Get the information from the shipping calculator on the auction site.  Some of the US based suppliers have free shipping, while other will charge $180 for a pallet of 2 or more panels, so if you buy 10 panels shipping drops from $90 to $18 a panel.

DIY Solar Panels?

Finally, lets quickly mention DIY.  Please forget the idea of making your own cheap solar panels.  As stated in numerous places on this site, if you want a great science project, go ahead and make a solar panel, but this is NOT a viable route if you want to install solar panels to reduce your electricity bill.  The headline reasons for not going DIY are as follows:

• DIY solar panels can cost more to make than factory made panels.  DIY solar panels typically cost $3 per watt.
• In the USA and most other countries you will NOT be allowed to connect your DIY solar panels to the electricity grid.
• Factory made solar panels normally come with 25 year performance guarantees.  DIY solar panels have no guarantees and will probably last just a few years, at best.
• DIY solar panels have a risk of fire from poor quality soldering.  If your DIY solar panel catches fire your insurance company is unlikely to pay out for a fire caused by a solar panel without UL certification.
• It does not matter how much time and trouble you take to make them, your DIY solar panels will not qualify for Government rebates and tax incentives.

So, please keep the above in mind if you are seriously considering making your own cheap solar panels.  However, if you still want to make your own solar panels, say to provide lighting for a shed or outbuilding, make sure you get the best instruction manuals and videos available.  We have reviewed the most widely known solar panel guides/kits and there is a significant difference in quality between the best and worse.

I hope the above is of use.  Please add constructive comments and let me know how you get on buying your solar panels.

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