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JA Solar Holdings Co. is a leading manufacturer of high-efficiency photovoltaic solar panels, based in Shanghai, China with several global offices, including one in San Jose, California. They produce high-performance solar panels for residential, commercial, and utility-scale projects. JA Solar took the number three spot on the SolarReviews' Best Solar Brands of 2024.
Are JA Solar panels good? Yes, they are quite good. The panels use modern technology and JA Solar offers a good warranty to back up its products. Furthermore, the company is publicly traded and has a strong history of financial performance and profitability. For these reasons, we recommend JA Solar panels.
Our full review below covers the company’s residential solar panels, detailing their specifics and warranty details.
Key takeaways
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JA Solar offers many residential solar panel options with high-efficiency ratings ranging from 20%-21%.
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JA Solar panels are half-cut cell panels, a technology that increases their energy output. They also utilize PERC technology.
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JA Solar offers a competitive warranty and has great customer reviews to uphold its reputation.
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JA Solar panels placed 3rd in SolarReviews’ ranking of the top 10 solar panel manufacturer brands of 2024.
What are the available JA Solar modules?
JA sells both residential and commercial-sized solar panels. Its residential solar panels contain either 54 or 60 solar cells, while the commercial panels use 72 cells. JA uses half-cut monocrystalline cells in its residential panels, which helps increase their efficiency. The efficiency and rated maximum power from the JA Solar datasheets are listed below.
Model | Efficiency | Rated maximum power |
|---|---|---|
21.2% | 395 W | |
22% | 440 W | |
20.2% | 340 W |
These panels generally use the same technology, with slight variations leading to different wattages and efficiencies. The JAM54S30/MR, however, is more powerful despite having fewer cells. This means the panels are smaller in size but still generate a lot of electricity, making them a great choice for homes with limited roofing space.
How much do JA Solar panels cost?
JA Solar panels are estimated to cost about $2.80 per watt. However, the total cost for individual panels can be difficult to determine because a lot of factors can change their pricing, such as local installation prices and costs to ship the panels to the installation location.
The average cost per watt for solar panels is $3.00, so JA solar panels fall below that average. This could be because they are manufactured in China, making their cost to build low.
The best way to find pricing for JA solar panels is to get a commitment-free quote from local installers who use them in their solar installations.
What is the JA Solar warranty?
JA Solar offers a 12-year product replacement warranty and a 25-year panel output warranty. Both of these warranty periods are well within the industry standard (10 and 25 years, respectively), and compete with solar panel manufacturer competitors like Q CELLS, Trina, and Panasonic, who have a 10-year product warranty and 25-year performance warranty.
If after 25 years your solar panels are producing less than 84.8% of the original power output, the warranty will be honored. JA Solar does need to verify the decrease in output as well as any other product defects, but regardless it is a great warranty option that can make you feel at ease when investing in solar panels.
Module and cell technology - what makes JA Solar different?
JA offers half-cut cell and PERC (or mono PERC) solar panels. Half-cut solar cells make solar panels more efficient; the cells are essentially split in half so that if one half is shaded or experiences malfunctions, the other half of the panel can continue to generate energy.
Learn more: What are half-cut solar cells?
Additionally, all of the JA residential solar panels utilize PERC technology. PERC solar panels have an extra layer that captures more of the electricity-generating photons hitting the solar panel so that those photons can be turned into more electricity.
Learn more: PERC solar cells - are they the best choice?
Having both half-cut cells and PERC technology make JA Solar panels have extremely high efficiency. An efficiency rating of above 20% is generally considered very good, and all of their modules hover around 20-21% efficiency. In fact, JA Solar panels are so efficient, they’re listed as one of the most efficient panels on the market.
Do we recommend JA Solar panels?
Yes, we recommend using JA Solar panels for your home solar panel installation. They are even included in our list of top 10 recommended solar panel manufacturer brands for 2024. JA Solar panels are a great way to add renewable energy to your home.
JA Solar is a high-quality brand with highly efficient solar panels that offers a great warranty, especially compared to other manufacturers. They have great customer reviews with an excellent review score on SolarReviews of over 4.5 stars.
Unfortunately, getting an exact price is hard to pinpoint online, so to get a quote, your best bet is to talk to local solar installers.
Ultimately, the most important part of choosing which solar panels to go with is choosing your installer. A local installer with good reviews that has been in business for at least a few years is your best bet. They will be there to help every step of the way from the installation, to years down the line if you need help with your solar system. If they use JA Solar panels, it is because they find them the most practical, trustworthy option and you can trust their recommendation.
Ana is the Marketing & Communications Manager at SolarReviews, working within the solar industry since 2020. With a Master's in Climate and Society and professional experience in marketing, she helps communicate the value of solar to homeowners and build awareness of the SolarReviews brand. On weekends you can find her at the Jersey shore, reading a book from the ever-increasing stack on her side table, or eating food someone else cooked....
Learn more about Ana Almerini