Most residential panels are rated between 18% and 23% efficiency, while high-end models reach 22% to 24%. Solar-cell efficiency is the portion of energy in sunlight that is converted into electricity by a solar cell. Modern panels reach 18–23% efficiency. 8% threshold achieved by LONGi and JinkoSolar represents a 65% improvement over panels from just 15. NLR maintains a chart of the highest confirmed conversion efficiencies for research cells for a range of photovoltaic technologies, plotted from 1976 to the present. After reviewing hundreds of solar panel models, we found five brands that lead the pack: CW Energy, Maxeon, Qcells, SEG Solar, Silfab, and CertainTeed.
