LG Vs SunPower: Why It's An Easy Win For SunPower...
I can tell you right now, that this is one of the most common questions that every solar installer in the world will get asked.
I would also say this question has been asked for decades, everyone wants to know the answer.
Which should I go for, LG or Sunpower?
Which is better value for money?
Which of these panels are the best? Is one better than the other?
LG vs Sunpower… Which would I choose (as an experienced solar installer)?
Well, where do I start. There is so much to cover to get the answer that we are looking for. I’m going to take a good look at both of these solar panels so that you can decide which one is the winner for you.
Ok, so let’s dig in deep and look at both of these solar panels for a logical buyers perspective to find out which one is best.
If you are still in research mode and unsure on what solar systems you need, please feel free to read my guide on how to buy the best solar panels for your home.
For those of you who are ready and decided, feel free to get a quote from me for either Sunpower solar panels or LG solar panels by clicking on the links. I’ve also done a FULL Sunpower solar panels review here if you want to know more about them (and why they might be your favourite)…
LG Solar Panels Vs SunPower
Well. I suppose that’s a very easy question to answer right now. Considering that SunPower made an extremely bold move back in January 2022 by moving their warranty from 25 years to 40 years, it shows they are in the market to stay.
I honestly think this move may have triggered LG Solar to reconsider their position in the market. Shortly after this announcement, in Feb 2022 LG announced its shock exit from the solar industry.
Now, shock for most… I feel like me and my team saw this one coming for a while. The trouble is the market is evolving at a very fast pace. Jinko is bringing out more affordable and high value panels than ever. They’re equipped with high end N Type technology (notorious for high performance) and come in at a fraction of the price of LG offering the same 25 year warranty.
It just seems like LG had slipped from its unique selling point of having the 25 year warranty which a few years ago was uncommon in the solar industry. This allowed LG to sell panels at a high price.
But when the competition changed and the market evolved, LG didn’t adapt. Although bringing out a more affordable module of panels the Mono X they only gave this a 15 year warranty?
For a small extra cost you could get Jinko N Type panels with 25 year warranty, so it just didn’t make sense to look toward LG anymore. Sunpower on the other hand, they will always dominate the industry even more so with their 40 year warranty.
People choose LG and SunPower because they are high quality, so which one is better?
It’s really hard to say. Both of these solar panels are super high in quality. This is the reason why they are both so popular. People buy LG and Sunpower based on their performance and quality.
However, when I take a deep dive into their performance it does show that SunPower might have the lead here. To work this out I took a look into the degradation of both LG and Sunpower solar panels.
SunPower guarantees that after 40 years, their solar panels will still perform at 92% of initial output. Whereas LG solar guarantees 90.8% after 25 years, which is just less.
Although it may not seem a lot, when you add up each solar panel it does make quite a difference. This means that you will be getting more energy from a SunPower system after 40 years, over an LG solar system.
So in saying this, I would say that Sunpower does perform better than LG in terms of quality and long term performance. If this is something that’s important to you, then Sunpower is your right system.
Sunpower's Performance Towers Over LG!!
Sunpower Offers Almost Double The Warranty Compared To LG Panels
This is the part that gets me super excited. Sunpower threw LG completely out of the water with their whopping 40 year solar panel warranty. It’s safe to say, when you choose sunpower you are choosing solar for life.
I’d even look to argue this is what pushed LG away from the market. The time frames seem to coincide with each other as LG made a shock exit only 1 month after this announcement. We always found in Australia homeowners looking for quality solar would consider these two brands.
That means they directly competed with each other. Now, if you get these two panels for around the same price but one is offering a 40 year warranty, the other is offering a 25 year warranty. What are you going to choose?
Let’s be honest. We’re all thinking the obvious here. Yes, we would all go for SunPower.
By the way, the 40 year warranty is only on the Maxeon modules, which I’ve reviewed here.
SunPower solar panels manage to beat LG with its solar panel efficiency
Everyone knows that Sunpower solar panels are one of the most efficient in the industry. Shortly following are LG solar panels offering a similar conversion efficiency.
For the Sunpower Maxeon 3, they offer an incredible 22.6% efficiency.
For LG NeON 2 you’re looking at 21.1% or NeON R 22%.
So yes, Sunpower solar panels are more efficient than LG panels. Essentially on paper, this means that Sunpower panels will convert more sunlight into energy. This would mean that you would get energy for cheaper, and pay off your system faster.
Again, it seems like Sunpower is dominating this review over and over. Even on LG’s best module they come in 0.6% lower in efficiency. That’s quite a big percentage considering LG are asking homeowners to invest the same amount of money into their panels.
Especially when price matters, and you can get high quality, value solar panels from Jinko, Seraphim, Canadian or Longi.
The Fight Continues...!!
LG Has a Better Reputation And Bankability, But SunPower Is Still In The Market…
Like I mentioned above, reputation and bankability should be something that you consider with these two solar panels. You wouldn’t just buy a solar panel that didn’t have a good reputation or name for itself. Nor would you trust your warranty with a company lacking finance or close to bankruptcy.
This is down to it being such a big company with leading market share in the electronics industry as well. LG is more financially stable by the looks of things. They have also been around for much longer than Sunpower.
I suppose this is super important right now considering the shock exit from LG and how they will support their clients in the future. Fortunately, they do have a very large market share in the electronics market.
LG has announced it will continue to support LG solar panel owners with warranty defects and any other issues. Although I’d say LG has the better bankability, it’s a close argument because they’re no longer in the market.
SunPower is still in the market but if they were to do a shock exit like this, could they support their customers’ future 40 year warranties?
LG Dominates With Its Reputation & Bankability!!
SunPower Are Now Providing Affordable Solar Panels... But LG Have Not Budged On Price
This is where it gets really interesting. SunPower have adapted to the market by making their performance solar panels much more affordable for homeowners. It comes as pressure continues to be placed by other affordable solar panels such as Jinko and Longi.
However, LG has not. They are still more expensive than Sunpower and have not adapted to the pressure from the market change. This means that you can get SunPower solar panels for a much more affordable price than LG.
To me this is a bit of a game changer. I mean both panels offer great warranties, fantastic performance and high efficiency.
I guess it only comes down to one thing now…
Price. And SunPower wins here. By a long way as well.
Like I always say, with a lower price comes a faster return on investment. Therefore, with SunPower you will be getting the faster return on your solar system when compared to LG.
If you are looking to slash your costs fast, and take advantage of a speedy return on your investment then SunPower is your panel.
It’s great to see that Sunpower has made this change in price to cater for those who cannot afford the higher end products. It is shaping the solar industry to become more affordable for everyone, after all the sun is free.
The most affordable from Sunpower range is the performance 3 solar panel.
SunPower Solar Panels Are More AFFORDABLE Than LG Panels!!
How do they compare to cheaper solar panels like Jinko or Longi?
Of course it’s always good to compare these solar panels with budget ones like Jinko, Longi, Seraphim or Canadian solar panels. So here is a quick list of all the obvious wins and losses that LG and Sunpower have.
The obvious wins
Higher efficiency
Longer warranties
More durable product
Better reputation
Strong bankability
Cheaper energy
The obvious losses
Expensive (LG)
All size systems will produce the same amount of energy
Longer return on investment
Specifications:
25 year product warranty
25 year performance warranty
Temperature coefficient
20.7% Efficiency (21.1% new model)
12 busbar
Low LID
Corrosion Resistance Certification
Multi Anti-reflective Coatings
Enhanced low light performance
High Wind Load Resistance
Positive Tolerance (0/+3%)
“CELLO” Technology
High Temperature Performance
Specifications:
40 year performance warranty
40 year product warranty
Temperature coefficient
Conversion efficiency of 22.6%
Maxeon solar cells
Low operating temperature
Pure N-Type silicon cells
400W in size
Shingled cells
Low corrosion
Solid metal foundation
Anti reflective tempered glass
So, LG vs SunPower… Which is the winner?
Well, sorry to answer the question for you but considering LG no longer makes panels you’re going to have to choose sunpower.
This isn’t a bad thing though, I’d argue SunPower are easily the best solar panels in the industry right now offering the best warranties, highest efficiency and even being used by NASA which highlights their durability.
I’ve written a full Sunpower review which you can read here.
Overall, it’s a shame to hear LG has left the market however it’s a fast moving market and LG simply couldn’t adapt to its competitors and still seemed stuck in the early 2010’s market.
If they budge on price or warranty, maybe they could become the industry leader they once were but it seems like it’s far too late now.
SunPower for the win!
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Written By:
Luke Cove
Managing Director
Lightning Solar & Electrical
13 thoughts on “LG Solar Panels Vs Sunpower”
..thanks from LG Solar GM..good read
Hi Luke,
Maxeon 5s are out now, your thoughts on how they compare to the Neon 2s?
30 x Sunpower Maxeon3
2 x Tesla2
Best balance for us
Very good comparison but I am now more confused to decide.
Hey Rita,
Honestly, both of these solar panels are GREAT panels. However, one panel might suit your requirements, budget and roof better. There is no cookie cutter solar, every home is different and everyone has different goals/reasons for installing solar energy. The point is, each panel is going to work differently for you which is why it’s best to get a solar engineer to design your system based around your budget and requirements. Then you will be able to decide which one is best!
I hope this helps.
Very good information Luke, I would go for the LG for the simple fact they are financially stronger, but because of the cost of the SunPower panels are cheaper and their financing is very attractive and SunPower is also financially stable I will go for the SunPower, the quality of both are very good
Thank you
Hi Luke, very helpfull information! Many thanks for that. Sunpower wins for me simply due to the fact that the perfomance line is cheaper and the sizes of the panels are smaller (indeed every roof is different and the sunpower’s fit better in my case)
This settled brings me the next question…
Solaredge converter or micro-converters (enphase iq7+ or APSystem)
What are your thoughts on that?
KR, Arjan
Hey Arjan,
It’s a tough call. Both products are really good and without going into all the techy information they both offer a very similar product. Micro-inverters convert DC energy into AC energy right at the panel meaning you will never have any DC running across your roof or home. Panel optimisers instead contain the DC voltage so it doesn’t exceed a dangerous level.
One big point to make is that the Maxeon 5 solar panels by Sunpower actually come built into these modules and offer a 25 year product warranty. If you are interested in SunPower, maybe this could be the panel for you depending on your budget. Panel optimisers also come with a 25 year warranty but its worth getting a panel that matches this as well like Sunpower or Jinko or Canadian.
Essentially, both of these products are going to make your system more efficient. They will also allow each panel to perform independently and give you a super flexible design which you can keep adding too in the future if your energy usage increases. To really get the most from your system I’d suggest speaking to one of our solar design engineers who can tailor a system around your goals and budget. Also your roof too!
Thanks,
I have had Sunpower panels for the last 9 years and they perform great no issues.
Solar efficiency also affects the active spectrum range that the panels can absorb. This means that the more efficient panel will be able to deliver more energy during low and overcast skies. Compared to last generations monocrystalline solar cells, (18%-20%) for the same or smaller size footprint, the SunPower solar cells would have the same/similar peak output, but it’s light gathering abilities goes farther into the day and will gather about 60% more total energy on any given day. That’s not a point that I see many bringing up, but it’s really appreciated during low light situations where older technologies aren’t as photoactive. Those few extra watts per 100w panel makes a Big difference during overcast skies when being able to successfully charge your phone or battery. Total energy production matters. I would always go with the higher system efficiency panel, within the budget, just for that reason. Hope this helps those of us looking at solar technologies who are wondering what to get. Best to you. <3
Hi Luke, We have the same conversations with our customers, although Sunpower wins hands down on all fronts.
Just to make you aware as its not clear by your article if you are or not , Sunpower are owned by Parent company Total so have much better backing than LG , this is the main reason we back them 100%.
We were unfortunately caught out a few years back when Solarworld went into administration, we now take a bit more care on researching the companies and how they are backed.
Good article though and very informative.
I’m glad that SunPower is getting the recognition that deserves. They’ve served me very well over the years and are worth every penny over the older technologies. ??☀️
In my opinion, it’s all a matter of cost benefit, because almost every time I see these comparisons, one will be better than the other in some aspect, whether in price, durability, performance. Great post because it helps us make the best decision