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Author: Kaitlyn Short
BYD was originally formed in 1995 and served as one of China’s top high-tech companies. The manufacturer specialized in automobile manufacturing, but eventually transitioned into IT and renewable energy industries.
While BYD does produce solar panels for residential use, the company is most notably known for its rechargeable batteries providing dependable solar backup solutions.
Currently, BYD is the largest supplier of nickel-cadmium batteries, handset Li-ion batteries, cell-phone chargers and keypads on an international scale. The company has made a number of advancements within the solar battery system industry and has made a number of contributions to the solar panel market as well.
On the automobile front, BYD is considered to be one of the most advanced and independently run national auto brands in China as it pertains to electric vehicles. BYD is committed to finding renewable energy sources that benefit a number of areas within everyday life. Other green products produced by BYD include solutions for solar farms, battery energy storage stations, and LED lights.
Top Ranked Companies
The Good
- Variety of Panel Models
- Performance Degradation
Variety of Panel Models
BYD has produced a number of solar panels for clients to choose from. These varying models offer different performance specifications, with the more premier solar panels providing the best overall quality. There are three different solar panel “series” produced by BYD with four or five different models in each series.
With so many models to choose from, BYD provides clients with a number of options and performance metrics that are likely to meet solar energy expectations and standards. Not all manufacturers have this many solar panel models to choose from.
Performance Degradation
One performance metric that is important to prospective solar panel clients is performance degradation. This metric determines the “drop off” that can be anticipated year over year as a solar panel produces energy. The smaller the number, the better the product will operate over its lifespan.
BYD solar panels offer an average annual performance degradation rating of 0.3 percent which is one of the better performance metrics in comparison to other comparable products. Clients can expect BYD solar panels to function properly for decades after installation.
The Bad
- Undisclosed Pricing
- Limited Warranty
- Panel Efficiency
- Tier Ranking
Undisclosed Pricing
Most solar panel manufacturers will disclose starting figures when it comes to pricing. This is beneficial information as most prospective customers are interested in what the overall investment is going to be. Whether it is a range or a starting price, costs are generally disclosed for comparison purposes.
BYD has not released costs for its solar panels, or a number of its other energy products that the company produces. This makes it difficult to determine the overall affordability of BYD solar panels.
Limited Warranty
Warranties are standard practice within the solar industry. The average solar panel warranty covers panel performance and related equipment for 25 years. BYD does not offer this same level of coverage and only backs its solar panels for 12 years.
Panel Efficiency
One key performance metric that solar panels are often evaluated on is efficiency. This rating tells how effectively a solar panel harnesses sunlight and turns it into usable energy. Typically, the more efficient a solar panel, the higher performing the overall technology is.
The average efficiency rating among residential solar panels hovers around 15 percent to 17 percent. A number of panels boast efficiency ratings well over 20 percent. Unfortunately, BYD does not produce highly efficient solar panels and its ratings fall in the 14 percent to15 percent range making them less efficient than most products on the market.
Tier Ranking
The solar industry uses a tier ranking system to determine the operating levels of various solar equipment. Having solar panels ranked as “tier-1” means those are the best quality panels according to a number of technical specifications on the market.
Due to the bankability of the BYD solar panels, they do not measure up in comparison to competitors' products. As a result, BYD solar panels are not considered to be “tier-1” solar panels.
The Bottom Line
BYD is an international manufacturer producing a number of new energy products. There are three BYD panel series to choose from that include 13 different models. BYD solar panels also boast a quality performance degradation rating, meaning the panels should produce at an expected level for a long period of time.
Since a majority of BYD efforts are placed on other energy efforts, it makes sense that there are drawbacks associated with its solar panel products. Prospective clients should be aware that pricing for BYD panels remains undisclosed making it difficult to compare for budget purposes.
The warranty on BYD solar panels is also limited to just 12 years depots the industry average more than doubling that. The efficiency ratings also range from below average to average depending on what BYD product is purchased. It should also be noted that BYD solar panels are not considered tier-1 panels.
While there are a number of reasons to consider BYD products for solar storage, the solar panels produced by the manufacturer are lacking in a number of areas compared to other products currently on the market.
