1. Solar panel companies / brands

Some examples you may encounter in India include:

Rayzon Solar

Vikram Solar — Indian solar PV module manufacturer; it also provides EPC and O&M services. VVikram Solar

Panasonic / Anchor by Panasonic — offers solar PV modules including Mono PERC, bifacial and TOPCon products. PPanasonic

Waaree

Adani Solar

Tata Power Solar

RenewSys

Premier Energies

Goldi Solar

Jakson Solar

Loom Solar

Different types of solar panels

Common panel technologies include:

  • Monocrystalline – generally high efficiency and widely used.
  • Polycrystalline – older/common technology, generally somewhat lower efficiency.
  • Thin-film – lightweight and useful for some specialized applications.

You’ll also see panels described by their power rating, such as 400 W, 450 W, 550 W, etc.

A panel’s wattage is its approximate maximum rated power under standardized test conditions. It does not mean the panel will continuously produce that wattage in every situation.

What is a solar power system?

A typical solar system is:

Solar panels → DC electricity → Solar inverter → AC electricity → Home/load

For a battery system:

Solar panels → Charge controller/inverter → Battery → Inverter → Home/load

Main components:

  • Solar panels – produce DC electricity from sunlight.
  • Inverter – converts DC into AC electricity used by appliances.
  • Battery – stores energy for later use.
  • Charge controller – controls charging of batteries in systems that use a separate controller.
  • Mounting structure – holds the panels.
  • DC/AC cables, breakers and protection devices – provide safe electrical connections.