Yingli solar panels: the complete review

Yingli Solar is headquartered in Baoding, China but they ship their photovoltaic (PV) products globally as well as throughout Asia, Europe, and the United States. Yingli Solar is one of the oldest renewable energy manufacturers and has been in business since 1998.

The Yingli business model covers the entire production process of the panel. From the raw materials that make silicon solar cells, or ingots, to the backsheets, Yingli strives to ensure that each solar panel is high-quality.

As of January 2022, Yingli Solar offers three types of monocrystalline solar modules on their website, but only two of them are built for use on residential homes.

Let's review the cost of Yingli panels and compare the warranty they offer with other solar panel manufacturers.

What modules does Yingli offer?

Yingli does not offer many options, with only two mono PV modules to choose from, the YLM 120 half-cut cell all-black panel and the YLM 144 half-cut cell monofacial panel.

Module	Power rating	Maximum efficiency	Positive power tolerance
YLM 120 half-cut cell	315-320 W	19.08%	0/+5 W
YLM 144 half-cut cell	435-450 W	20.01-20.70%	0/+5 W

Power rating

A solar panel's power rating refers to its wattage. For example, a typical residential solar panel can range from 275W to 400W. It's important to note that the wattage amount is how much power output solar panels can produce under perfect conditions.

Yingli Solar has modules that range from 315-450 watt solar panels, which is a solid range to choose from. Either one of Yingli's residential solar panels will provide enough power to keep your home's electricity running.

Maximum efficiency

A solar panel's efficiency rating represents the amount of energy absorbed that will be turned into electricity. Although some brands offer solar panels with module efficiency ratings of 22%, the average efficiency that you can expect is between 15%-20%.

Yingli Solar panels have efficiency ratings between 19.08% and 20.70% which are high-efficiency ratings.

Positive power tolerance

When determining a solar panel's power rating, solar panels are tested under standard test conditions, or conditions that remain constant to fairly compare and test solar panels. The positive power tolerance is how much energy generation fluctuates above or below the power rating. In the case of Yingli solar panels, it is between 315W - 450W.

The positive power rating for Yingli solar panels is listed at 0/+5 W, meaning that the panels will not produce less than their power rating but they might produce as much as 5 W more than their highest rated wattage.

What is the Yingli Solar warranty?

Yingli Solar offers an overall limited warranty, a 12-year product warranty, and a 25-year performance warranty. The product warranty will cover any issues such as broken panels or malfunctioning panels for up to 12 years.

The performance warranty warrants that Yingli panels will maintain 80.70% of their original power performance after 25 years. If your solar panels degrade more than the anticipated amount, Yingli will replace your solar panels.

Overall, this is a decent warranty. Many solar manufacturers only have a 10-year product warranty coupled with a 25-year panel warranty. Yingli Solar offers two extra years on the product warranty and an industry-standard 25-year performance warranty.

How much do Yingli solar panels cost?

Solar panel pricing is hard to pinpoint because while panels can be bought at wholesale prices, the entire solar system price is based on local installation costs, shipping, and other market factors. As of January 2022, the average cost per watt for solar panels is $3.00. Yingli's solar panels will cost you anywhere between $2.50 and $3.10 per watt.

For reference, an average 7kW solar system can cost you about $21,000 before the federal tax credit.

You can expect Yingli Solar panels to be slightly below the average because they are known as a less expensive brand. Use our calculator to find a local installer to find the exact cost of Yingli solar panels in your area and for your specific solar project.

Is Yingli Solar right for you?

Interestingly, Yingli Solar was a top solar panel manufacturer with the largest shipment in 2013. Unfortunately, exponential growth led to financial issues for Yingli and their parent company, Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited, had to restructure their entire company to pay back business debts. Although Yingli has suffered some setbacks, they are still rated rather high on SolarReviews at a 4, making them a decent choice for solar panels.

While we recommend choosing a brand off of our top 10 manufacturers list, we wouldn't discount Yingli completely. These companies went through a rigorous review of their financials, company longevity, and customer satisfaction to determine which among them are top brands. Yingli did not make the list, but that doesn’t mean they are not a good choice for solar energy.