Are Hyundai solar panels the best choice for your home?
Written by Zeeshan Hyder
Updated August 12, 2021
5 minutes read
Categories: Solar 101, Solar energy, Solar panels, Solar power
Image source: Wholesale Solar
Hyundai began manufacturing solar panels in 2005 and has created a strong reputation within the American solar industry.
Hyundai, with the likes of LG, manufacture their panels in South Korea. Hyundai solar panels, despite a strong presence within the market, are known as a cheaper panel for the more budget minded.
What models of solar panels does Hyundai have on offer?
Hyundai currently has the following models available:
| Model Series | Application |
|---|---|
| RF-Series | Residential |
| RG-Series | Residential/Commercial/Utility |
| RG-Black-Series | Residential |
| RI-Series | Commercial/Utility scale |
| KI-Series | Commercial/Utility scale |
| WG-Series | Residential/Commercial/Utility |
| WI-Series | Commercial/Utility scale |
How do Hyundai panels compare to other market leaders?
Let's start by looking at the warranty, efficiency, and performance of Hyundai's offerings.
There are two kinds of warranties to be mindful of when purchasing solar panels:
- Product warranty
- Performance warranty
The product warranty applies to failures as a result of workmanship and materials used to construct the panel. Hyundai offers a product warranty of 10 years.
The performance warranty is a guarantee that the panel will produce a certain percentage of its rated power after a certain number of years. The warranties on Hyundai’s residential panels are below.
| Model Series | Output after 10 years | Output after 25 years |
|---|---|---|
| RF-Series | 90% | 80% |
| WG-Series | 90% | 80% |
For the RG-Series the performance warranty is what’s called a “linear warranty” and works a little differently.
The RG-Series guarantees an output of 97% after the first year and an annual degradation rate of 0.7% until 80.3% of original output after 25 years.
Overall, Hyundai has a warranty that is lacking in comparison to some other manufacturers who guarantee a 90% output after 25 years alongside a 25-year product warranty.
One of the benefits of going with Hyundai is that they manufacture a variety of other products and are likely to still be around even after 25 years to honor their warranty, should a problem ever arise.
Why is solar panel efficiency important?
The efficiency of a solar panel is the percentage of sunlight that hits the panel and is converted into energy.
Each solar panel has a rated output in Watts(W) however, a more efficient panel will produce their rated output using less space than a cheaper, less efficient product.
Higher efficiency panels are a great way to reduce the amount of roof space required to reach the desired power output from a solar system.
The efficiency of Hyundai panels vary from model to model, below is a list showing each panels efficiency level.
| Model | Model Series | Efficiency |
|---|---|---|
| HiS-S245RF | RF-Series | 16.6% |
| HiS-S250RF | RF-Series | 16.9% |
| HiS-S255RF | RF-Series | 17.2% |
| HiS-M250RG | RG-Series | 15.3% |
| HiS-M255RG | RG-Series | 15.6% |
| HiS-M260RG | RG-Series | 15.9% |
| HiS-M265RG | RG-Series | 16.2% |
| HiS-S275RG | RG-Series | 16.8% |
| HiS-S280RG | RG-Series | 17.1% |
| HiS-S285RG | RG-Series | 17.4% |
| HiS-S290RG | RG-Series | 17.7% |
| HiS-S295RG | RG-Series | 18.0% |
| HiS-S300RG | RG-Series | 18.3% |
| HiS-S270RG (BK) | RG-Black-Series | 16.5% |
| HiS-S275RG (BK) | RG-Black-Series | 16.8% |
| HiS-S280RG (BK) | RG-Black-Series | 17.1% |
| HiS-S285RG (BK) | RG-Black-Series | 17.4% |
| HiS-S290RG (BK) | RG-Black-Series | 17.7% |
| HiS-M250WG | WG-Series | 15.3% |
| HiS-M255WG | WG-Series | 15.6% |
| HiS-M260WG | WG-Series | 15.9% |
| HiS-M265WG | WG-Series | 16.2% |
| HiS-S275WG | WG-Series | 16.8% |
| HiS-S280WG | WG-Series | 17.1% |
| HiS-S285WG | WG-Series | 17.4% |
| HiS-S290WG | WG-Series | 17.7% |
| HiS-S295WG | WG-Series | 18.0% |
How well do Hyundai solar panels perform?
When judging the performance of a panel, it is best to look at the temperature coefficient of the panel.
Like most electronic devices, solar panels produce more energy when they are cooler.
A solar panels temperature coefficient is the reduction in its energy production for every degree over 25°C/77°F the panel reaches.
The temperature coefficient on most Hyundai panels is -0.40%/°C which means the panel produces 0.40% less energy for every degree over 25°C/77°F it becomes.
A -0.40%/°C temperature coefficient is pretty average amongst most tier one brands.
Companies such as Panasonic and SunPower brag temperature coefficients of -0.26%/°C to -0.29%/°C however, are more expensive than Hyundai panels.
How much do Hyundai solar panels cost?
You should be able to get a fully installed residential system with Hyundai panels for about $3.10 per watt which is slightly cheaper than average.
A typical 6kW system at $3.10 per watt would be $18,600 before any applicable federal, state or local incentives.
| System size | Cost per watt | Cost of the system before incentives | Cost after federal ITC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3kW | $3.10 | $9,300 | $6,510 |
| 5kW | $3.10 | $15,500 | $10,850 |
| 10kW | $3.10 | $31,000 | 21,700 |
Note that these solar panels are cheap for a reason.
Hyundai panels have a lower efficiency than other top-tier brands such as Panasonic or SunPower.
Because they are less efficient, you will need more Hyundai panels - and thus more roof space to reach the system output you need. Hyundai panels also offer a pretty average product and power output warranty.
Overall Hyundai panels aren’t bad but don’t compare well to the performance and warranty of other big brand panels.
Where can I find installers of Hyundai panels?
We have thousands of reviewed solar installers on SolarReviews many of which offer quotes on Hyundai panels.
Enter your zip code onto the calculator at the top of the page for detailed quotes on Hyundai solar panels.
