JA Solar JAM60S20 solar panels review

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The average home can save £1,190 every year with solar panels!

JA Solar is known for its budget and mid-range solar panels, and manufactures some of the best solar panels in that market segment. The JA Solar JAM60S20 is a monocrystalline, high-efficiency solar module that performs well compared to the industry standard in terms of efficiency.

JA Solar started out as a premium solar panel manufacturer but has become a lot more affordable in recent years. It has made continuous advances to its products and the company has well-established global sales and service networks. Customers seem to have recognised their efforts, and it has been well-received in the UK as well as other European markets. The majority of JA Solar online reviews are extremely positive and the company has been listed on the Fortune China 500 and Global Top 500 New Energy Enterprises for several consecutive years.

The JA Solar JAM60S20 is one of its most popular solar panels for home use. It provides high efficiency at a low price, and while the warranty isn't as generous as some brands, glowing customer reviews indicate that this isn't an insurmountable problem for most consumers.

The JAM60S20 performs comparably to other brands with much higher price tags, with a temperature coefficient of -0.27°C and a solid resistance to LID+LETID degradation.

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Chinese manufacturer JA Solar produces 60 and 72-cell monocrystalline silicon solar panels for both residential and commercial settings. The 60-cell residential modules are half-cut cell panels. JA Solar claims a 98% output after the first year, with 0.55% degradation per year up to 25 years and a fair temperature coefficient of -0.27°C. JA Solar utilises PERC (Passive Emitter and Rear Contact) solar panels with extra layers to capture more photons and generate more electricity than traditional solar panels.

Highlights: Costing around £206 per panel, this JA Solar panel is about two-thirds of the price of Panasonic solar panels and other mid-range models.

Key benefit: High efficiency for the price tag; an average of 1% greater efficiency than JA Solar's mid-range competitors.

Service: JA Solar panels are available in more than 100 countries and hold 4.5 star reviews on numerous review platforms.

Warranty: Materials are guaranteed for 12 years, with a 25-year linear guarantee for performance.

Cost per panel: £150 – £206.

The JA Solar JAM60S20 has received positive reviews, but examining the datasheets has revealed a few downsides. On the positive side:

There are some disadvantages to JAM60S20 solar panels, however:

JA Solar produces JAM60S20 solar panels for the residential market (Image credit: JA Solar)

JA Solar JAM60S20 solar panels are monocrystalline, which means that these conduct and convert the sun's energy to electricity when sunlight hits the silicon semiconductor. A typical home would purchase a JA Solar kit along with their solar panels, which would include microinverters, monitoring equipment, accessories, and racking (depending on the configuration and size of the roof).

The 390W half-cell module uses the advanced PERC cells (Passive Emitter and Rear Contact) that utilises an additional layer on the back, which enables panels to capture more sunlight than conventional solar panels.

JA Solar JAM60S20 solar panels compare well with other leading brands in terms of their efficiency and temperature coefficient. However, they drop below the average in terms of their degradation. The power falls below 82% after 25 years. The 12-year product warranty also raises eyebrows as many other top-tier brands (like LG, Panasonic and SunPower) tend to offer 25-year warranties. It's also not nearly as attractive as some of the sleeker models on the market right now, like the SunPower or Panasonic ranges.

This table compares the JA Solar JAM60S20 solar panels to other leading brands on the market.

The JA Solar's JAM60S20 is a quarter of the price of the likes of the SunPower Maxeon 3 that offers a 40-year warranty and 88.3% efficiency in year 40. If you aren't planning on living in your home for the full 25 years, JA Solar's JAM60S20 can efficiently and affordably power your home in the short-term but there are better long-term solutions available.

The best options for the longest warranties are Project Solar and Sunpower Maxeon. However, both of which are most costly than JA Solar's JAM60S20.

In terms of efficiency, the JA Solar's JAM60S20 is a good option compared to other solar panels. For a less expensive price, its 19.5% power output is better than some of the more expensive solar panels on the market.

JA Solar JAM60S20 modules start at £150 per panel which is similar to Trina Solar. However, an approved installer will need to provide a comprehensive quote.

Panel

Cost per panel

JA Solar JAM60S20

From £150

Trina Solar TSM-DE06X

From £150

Panasonic HIT N 245W

From £250

JA Solar JAM60S20 panels don't require any maintenance from homeowners. The product is fully guaranteed for 12 years and if performance drops below 81.4% before year 25, owners can claim from the warranty. However, if the panels become very soiled for some reason, it's possible to clean them with a soft sponge and water. Chemical cleaners shouldn't be used. Owners should preferably hose the solar panels down from the ground with a hose, instead of climbing on the roof for manual cleaning. It's worth noting that cleaning should always be done when the panels are at their coolest (in the early morning or evening).

"The JAM60S20 panels reach an efficiency of 21% and a temperature coefficient of just -0.27 — both properties put JA Solar panels on terms with the competition. Unfortunately, these panels have a significantly worse degradation rate than the competitors — the power drops to 83.1% after 25 years. Don't get me wrong — this is fine for the industry-standard but not good enough for the best of the best. Besides, a 12-year product warranty is much less than what we expect from top-tier manufacturers, and cannot but raise an eyebrow. Also, if you’re concerned with the aesthetic appeal of your home once you upgrade it to solar, you might have to check other options."

"Solar energy systems utilising JA Solar modules can expect an ROI period under ten years, depending on the size of the system. When considering the 25-year warranty period of the panels, this makes JA Solar an attractive option for both residential and commercial solar projects. The high-watt modules offered by the manufacturer ensure that you will need fewer panels to complete your solar energy system, this leads to savings both in terms of the modules themselves and the total bill of materials needed to meet your energy requirements. We recommend checking out JA Solar modules for your next solar energy project."

"(I) installed the mono perc cells and have seen great returns. Delivering above and beyond what I expected."

"JA Solar seems like a good option that is cheaper compared to other brand names."

JA Solar JAM60S20 solar panels are a very good entry-level solar product. They offer better-than-average efficiencies at a better-than-average price. The company is highly reputable, customer reviews are generally positive and the fact that the brand started off as a premium product but managed to lower its prices as it grew bodes well for the future.

The real sticking point is the durability though. The JA Solar JAM60S20 simply doesn't hold up as well as some of its competitors over time, and its low warranty acknowledges that fact. Competitors like Trina Solar offer a comparable product with much longer warranties and better performance overall. The aluminium frames and bulky installation is also a little off-putting if you are currently living in your "forever home" and plan on living with these solar panels for the next 20 years or so.

That being said, if you want to power your home in the short-term and plan on moving house as your family grows or shrinks, the JAM60S20 is a viable option. It provides sufficient output to comfortably power your home, with a great price point.

We would recommend the JA Solar JAM60S20 to homeowners on a budget that want to power their home for 10 to 12 years or less. The panels are a little rigid for homes with complicated roofs, but can easily power both smaller urban homes and larger suburban roofs.

Homeowners that are looking for something longer-term with better guarantees should look into options from SunPower or Panasonic. The investment will be more, but you’ll be guaranteed longer-term usage and more design options than JA Solar can currently offer.

Read more about how much you can save with solar panels, or find out about how solar panels are installed. To help you decide if solar panels are right for you, read our are solar panels worth it article.

With the average cost of solar panels being around £7,000, the initial investment is high; however, with panel prices falling further, and an increase in the cost of electricity, the return on your investment is taking fewer years to achieve.

Solar energy is dependent on the weather, with sunnier days producing a higher output than cloudy, rainy ones. If you live in a location that doesn't experience much daylight, it might be worth considering ground source or air source heat pumps for heating your home.

Solar energy is also weather-dependent, which can be another disadvantage depending on where you live. If you live in an open location where it's sunny most of the year, investing in a solar panel system makes a lot of financial (and environmental) sense. But if you live somewhere without much daylight, you might be better off investing in ground or air source heat pumps to generate electricity.

The choice for the majority of UK homes is a 300 W-rating solar panel system with an output of 4 kW. This costs around £6,500, and will require about 30m² of space on your roof. If you want a more powerful system, it will cost more and need a larger area of roof space.

The average UK home requires a 4 kW solar panel system, which costs approximately £600-£1,000 to install. This does depend on the roof access and property location, and installation is usually a two-person job. For a larger, more powerful system, expect to the installation costs to increase accordingly.

The rate of return on your solar panel investment is dependent on a number of factors, including:

Before the energy prices rose dramatically, it took around 14 years for solar panels to pay for themselves; however, with the price per kWh increasing to 52p in October 2022, that time has been readjusted to around 7 years.

Read our article Are solar panels worth it? to find out more.

Because of their ability to reduce energy bills and make the property more energy efficient, solar panels are one of the value adding home improvements (along with double glazing and a new boiler). According to research carried out by Zillow, solar panels add around 4% to the value of your home.

With a solar storage batteries costing between £1,200 and £6,000, the matter of adding one to your system is a matter of hot debate.

Depending on the output of your solar panels, there are going to be times where you have excess energy, and rather than letting it go to waste, a battery allows you to store the surplus produced until needed. This greatly increases the savings you can make, and reduces your reliance on the National Grid during periods of high electrical demand.

The lifespan of the average battery is around 15 years, and their storage capacity decreases near the end of their lifespan, so your budget should figure in two batteries to span the life of your solar panels.

A battery also allows you to sell electricity produced by your panels back to the National Grid.

Due to their reliance on the sun to produce energy, at night, the output from your solar panels will cease. If you invest in a solar storage battery, however, any electricity your family use at night can be drawn from the battery where it has been stored.

We conducted our research by analysing hundreds of customer reviews, media articles, and opinion pieces written by professional solar panel installers and industry experts.

We then used a scoring system (out of 100 points) to evaluate the performance of the JA Solar JAM60S20 solar panels against the most important factors consumers would consider when purchasing solar panels for their homes.

During our research, the total score was compiled as follows:

Each solar panel or company received a total score out of 100.

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