Canadian Solar is one of the world’s largest manufacturers and installers of solar panels and operates on six continents. The company was founded in 2001 and manufactures its solar panels in Canada, China, Indonesia, Vietnam and Brazil. Canadian Solar provides a range of options for both home- and business-owners alike. Canadian Solar panels are a regularly quoted solar panel brand in quotes to solar shoppers comparing their options on the EnergySage Solar Marketplace.
Key takeaways
- Canadian Solar makes several lines of solar panels, including All-Black, Ku, and BiKu.
- Canadian Solar’s panels range in efficiency from 15.88% to 20.6%, and they have a materials warranty lasting for up to 15 years on some products.
- Canadian Solar solar panels cost between $2.70 and $3.20/W on the EnergySage Marketplace – that’s $16,200 to $19,200 for a 6 kW system, before the federal solar tax credit.
- Shop for Canadian Solar solar panels (and many other brands!) today on the EnergySage Marketplace.
Canadian Solar panels: All-Black, HiDM, Ku, BiKu, HiKu, and BiHiKu series
Canadian Solar offers several series of solar panels for residential and commercial systems, including those below:
- All-Black (residential)
- HiDM (residential)
- Ku (commercial)
- BiKu (commercial)
- HiKu (commercial)
- BiHiKu (commercial)
EnergySage has reviewed the product specifications of each Canadian Solar panel series to make your solar research process easier. As the leading online marketplace for homeowners considering solar, EnergySage is uniquely positioned to evaluate the technical specifications of Canadian Solar solar panels and help you compare them to other manufacturers on the market.
How Canadian Solar panels compare to other panel manufacturers
There are four key metrics that you should review as you evaluate solar panel quality: efficiency, performance, warranties, and price. EnergySage has developed Canadian Solar panel reviews for each metric to help make your solar decision easier. We’ve also created a comparison of Canadian Solar panels against other leading panel manufacturers that are frequently featured in offers to homeowners and businesses shopping for solar on the EnergySage Solar Marketplace.
Efficiency
The term “solar panel efficiency” refers to how well a solar panel captures sunlight and converts it into useful electricity. In the same conditions, a high-efficiency solar panel will produce more electricity than a lower-efficiency panel of the same size. For this reason, a higher efficiency rating is generally preferable.
The efficiency of your Canadian Solar panels will vary depending on the specific model that you choose for your system. Panels in Canadian Solar’s product line have an efficiency rating of 15.88% to 20.60%.
Performance (temperature coefficient)
For this portion of EnergySage’s Canadian Solar solar panel reviews, we use the temperature coefficient to evaluate solar panel performance. The temperature coefficient is an indicator of how well your solar panel can handle less-than-ideal conditions. Solar panels, like other electronic equipment, perform better when they are kept cool (ideally around 25° C/77° F). The temperature coefficient tells you how much your panel’s performance will change during hot sunny summer days.
For every degree above 25° C (77° F), your solar panel’s electricity production will decrease by its temperature coefficient. For example, the Canadian Solar CS1H-325MS panel from their HIDM residential series has a temperature coefficient of -0.37%/°C. This means that, if the panel’s temperature increases by one degree from 25° C (77° F) to 26° C (79° F), its electricity production will decrease by 0.37%. If its temperature increases all the way to 35° C (95° F), electricity production will reduce by 3.7%.
Your solar panels will likely see more than a few hot and sunny days over the course of each year, so ideally, they will have the lowest temperature coefficient possible. Canadian Solar panels have temperature coefficients between -0.41 and-0.35.
Warranties
Whether you’re buying a TV, a car, or solar panels, the manufacturer should stand behind their product with a strong warranty. A solar panel’s materials warranty (sometimes referred to as the product or equipment warranty) is a guarantee from the manufacturer that they will replace your panel if it fails as a result of manufacturing defects or environmental issues.
Canadian Solar offers up to a 15 year warranty for defects in their solar panels, depending on the product line. You can read more about how Canadian Solar’s warranties compare to other top companies in our solar warranties overview.
How much do Canadian Solar panels cost?
For many homeowners, the final decision around the solar equipment you choose rests on cost. The total price you pay for a solar energy system with Canadian Solar panels will vary depending on the other equipment (such as inverters and mounts) used in the installation, as well as the characteristics of your roof.
To identify the range of prices for Canadian Solar PV systems, we analyzed quotes including Canadian Solar solar panels that homeowners received from installers on the EnergySage Solar Marketplace. Most Canadian Solar PV systems are typically priced between $2.70 and $3.20 per watt, which makes them a strong value in the market for home solar.
This means that, for a 6 kW system, your gross cost (before you subtract any tax credits or other incentives) would be anywhere from $16,200 to $19,200. Additionally, most homeowners end up paying much less than the total gross cost. With the 26 percent federal tax credit for solar, which everyone is eligible for, a 6 kW system with Canadian Solar panels would cost anywhere from $11,988 to $14,208. There are plenty of state-level solar incentives and rebates that can help you reduce upfront costs even further.
Canadian Solar panels may not offer the absolute best efficiency or performance in the solar industry, but thanks to their low price and solid performance, they’re a popular choice for shoppers comparing solar quotes on the EnergySage Solar Marketplace.
How to find the best price on Canadian Solar solar panels
The best way to determine whether Canadian Solar offers the best solar panels for your home is to review multiple quotes with different solar equipment options before making a decision. When you compare all of your options on the EnergySage Solar Marketplace, you’ll find the right combination of price and quality that meets your needs.
Many of our qualified, pre-vetted solar installers offer Canadian Solar in their quotes to EnergySage users. When registering, simply note in your profile that you’re interested in receiving quotes that include Canadian Solar panels for your home.
