How much should you expect to pay for solar panels given the current market? We take a deep dive into solar panel prices in South Africa and compare what’s out there.
You can buy some solar panels directly or your solar installation company will buy them as part of the solar equipment you get in your solar quote.
We’re going to compare a range of monocrystalline panels from 200 W to 450 W for the purposes of this price comparison. You can get cheaper polycrystalline panels which will have lower performance and efficiency.
Based on our investigations, you can expect to pay between R2,500 to R3,500 for monocrystalline solar panels in South Africa at current prices (August 2022).
Your solar installer might put a small mark-up on, or might even give you a discount on the solar modules due to being able to buy in bulk from manufacturers or wholesalers.
You will need at least 12 panels to reasonably offset your energy consumption for an average sized house. If you have enough roof capacity that faces the sun you can always scale this by adding more solar panels and increasing your battery capacity.
As a result, for 12 solar modules you can expect to pay between R30,000 and R42,000 (August 2022).
The Tier 1 solar panels are of superior quality and built to a higher standard than other solar panels.
The companies who make Tier 1 solar panels are also more likely to honour the product warranty.
The following solar panels are regarded as Tier 1 in South Africa currently:
UPDATE: SunPower is no longer producing solar panels and you will find it very difficult to find these panels in South Africa. The company is now focused on installing commercial and residential systems instead of producing solar modules.
UPDATE: We were no longer able to find QCells solar modules for sale in South Africa.
Let’s explore some other options…
ARTsolar is a local, South African producer of solar panels.
The price of solar panels is currently increasing as a result of an increase in the price of polysilicon. This is being driven by high demand worldwide and also the effects of the war in Ukraine and supply chain disruption created by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The overall trend for solar prices was in steep decline over the past few years but has recently started an uptick.
You can view the latest research from the World Energy Outlook report for 2021 for more insights into solar and renewable energy trends.
