LG NeON H BiFacial solar panel review

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

LG makes some of the best solar panels on the market, so we were surprised to hear that LG Solar would exit the market and cease solar panels UK manufacturing from mid-2022. Unfortunately, it seems that the pandemic took its toll on this part of LG's business, especially with many competing manufacturers entering the market and increasing panel efficiency while decreasing prices.

However, as LG produces some of the highest quality, highest-performing panels in the world, these will no doubt still live on through resellers and even in the second-hand market. If pricing does come down as a result of the shutdown, we’d still advise customers to consider a purchase carefully.

LG has a reputation for making very good solar panels, winning the EUPD Research Award for top brand PV every year from 2016 to 2021. It has also won the Inter Solar award for best solar panel three times over.

Its latest panel, the LG NeON H, performs exceptionally well due to its efficient (albeit more expensive) long-lasting N-type silicon cells. The NeON H panels have a very good temperature coefficient rating of 0.33%, which makes them suitable for hot climates.

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The new generation LG NeON H is an N-Type monocrystalline solar module that embraces modern half-cell technology. These solar panels have been marketed as premium modules with high yields and good performance, with an increased lifespan and reduced light-induced degradation.

Solar panels suit the architectural style of new homes perfectly

Highlights: High-purity N-type silicon cells boost performance and ensure longevity for these premium solar panels.

Key benefit: With a 400W option, LG NeON BiFacial solar panels can generate more power with fewer panels.

Service: LG is withdrawing from the solar market (see below), which has resulted in some uncertainty about service availability.

Warranty: 25 years. Warranties will still be honoured even as the company exits the market.

Cost: At £350 per panel, the NeON H is on the pricier side of the market, but panels may become cheaper as the company plans its exit.

The LG NeON H BiFacial solar panel range is their most popular, and it's easy to see why. Some of the advantages include:

There are always disadvantages that have to be taken into account, including:

The LG NeON H BiFacial solar panels generate power from both sides (Image credit: LG)

Bifacial solar panels produce energy from both sides of the panel. With a solar tracking system that tilts solar cells towards the sun, bifacial solar cell efficiency can generate up to 30% more energy than conventional solar panels, according to some manufacturers.

LG NeON uses N-type silicon cells, which use phosphorus instead of boron, which reduces boron-oxygen defects. This increases efficiency and purity and means that LG NeON BiFacial solars are not affected by light-induced degradation.

Aside from using the N-Type silicon cells in their design, LG also has no fewer than nine bus bars running through the panel serving as highly efficient conductors for solar energy. The increased number of bus bars also reduces losses caused by resistance when panels are working at their optimal levels, which increases performance even further.

LG NeON H Bifacial solar panels are highly efficient as power can be generated from various sides (Image credit: LG)

In terms of efficiency and power output, the LG Neon H BiFacial solar panel is extremely hard to beat, but it's one of the most expensive modules on the market. If you’re looking for high yields and optimum performance at a better price, the NeON R from LG is a very good option, available in a range from 375W-400W, which will generate power of up to 92% in year 25.

This table is an overview of how the LG Neon H BiFacial compares to some other solar panels on the market.

However, as LG is leaving the solar panel business in 2022, you might want to look elsewhere. We would recommend the SunPower Maxeon 3.

SunPower is not only one of the most respected solar companies in the world but an industry leader in terms of efficiency and durability. As such, it offers a full and unprecedented 40-year warranty for the Maxeon 3. This long warranty comes off the back of a failure analysis program which reported a 0.005% return based on warranty claim data (collected after sales of 15 million panels).

Project Solar Elite 400 has one of the best warranty's on the market with a lifetime guarantee and a 20% efficiency rate makes it a very attractive solar panel choice.

By year 40, these panels will still deliver a minimum output of 88.3%. In terms of cost, it's priced at the same level as the LG NeON H range – although that may change as LG offloads stock ahead of its exit.

The LG NeON H BiFacial are at the premium end of the solar panels UK market, similar to the pricing of SunPower:

Name

Output

Cost

SunPower Maxeon 3

400W

From £350+ per panel, excluding extras and labour

LG NeON H

440W

From £350+ per panel, excluding extras and labour

Panasonic HIT N 245W

245W

From £250+ per panel, excluding extras and labour

LG NeON BiFacial solar panels installed on a mounting system (Image credit: LG)

There's no need to clean or otherwise maintain LG NeON H BiFacial solar panels. In fact, it's discouraged as any tampering may void the warranty. If you do notice excessive soiling and are concerned about it, you can clean the surface of the solar panels with a damp sponge or soft cloth.

Alternatively, you can simply spray the solar panels down from the ground using an ordinary garden hose. It's important not to use soap or chemical cleaners in any way.

"LG NeON solar panels cost a bit more, but they are always going to be a better choice. They are not for everybody, but if you can include them in your budget, you know you are going to get an excellent product and that you will be well looked after thanks to their great warranties."

"The N-Type monocrystalline solar module by LG to replace the decorated NeON 2 is the new generation LG NeON H. Embracing modern half-cell technology, the LG NeON H is marketed as a premium module for the investor serious about high-yields and above-average performance from a household brand you can trust. The numbers behind LG's most popular solar module are particularly interesting and worth considering towards an educated purchasing decision."

– Report by Solar Analytica, April 2022

"Like most things, premium equipment comes at a premium price. LG panels do cost more than the competition, with the Neon 2 coming in at around 30% more than standard mono modules, but you get a lot more for your money. Solar is a long term investment, so it is necessary to take into account performance and degradation rates over the life of the system."

– Review by Jason Svarc, Clean Energy Reviews, July 2021

"LG has a .3% degradation rate. Qcells are at .6%. If you can get the salesman to bring the pricing down a bit, I believe LG is totally worth it in the long run. The 25 year warranties across the board are pretty nice too."

"One thing to think about is that LG is discontinuing solar panel production soon. Maybe that's fine since it's a big company and will still stand behind the warranty."

LG NeON H BiFacial solar panels come at a premium price, but you really do get what you pay for. While it's around 30% more expensive than standard modules, long-term performance is unparalleled.

Degradation is low, which means that your solar panels will continue to efficiently power your home for decades. While LG is leaving the market, it has a solid history of customer service and many other thriving product channels, so it is anticipated that LG will continue to honour warranties as promised. The enormous support the LG corporation has enjoyed, its size and its reputation definitely count for something when making a decision.

The timing of the exit certainly couldn't be worse because if the LG NeON H BiFacial is anything to go by, LG is currently producing some of the finest solar panels in the world. While production is continuing until mid-2022, we hope that we’ll still be able to get our hands on some LG NeON H solar panels (at a good price) in the future.

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.

The length of time solar panels take to break even depends on several factors, including:

As the energy price increases, it takes less time for solar panels to pay for themselves. Prior to the current energy crisis, the break even point was about 14 years. However, when the energy price rose to 52p per kWh in August 2022, this time was cut to between four and five years.

Read our articles Are solar panels worth it? and Selling energy to the National Grid to find out more.

The average cost of a solar system used to be around £10,000 and this was a big disadvantage for many homeowners; however, that figure is dropping, and currently stands at an average of £6,500, according to Money Saving Expert. This, plus the rising energy costs have brought the break even point right down, too.

Solar energy is also dependent on the weather. If you live in an open location that catches a lot of sun, investing in solar panels makes sense, both financially and environmentally. But if you experience shorter daylight hours, you may find reaching your break even point takes a little longer.

Installing solar panels is usually a job for two people, depending on your roof access, type and location, but a typical 4 kW system costs between £600 and £1,000 approximately. As you’d expect, a system that requires more panels will take longer to install, and therefore, cost more.

Cloudy days don't stop solar panels generating electricity, but their output won't be as high as on clear days. The general rule is if you can see outside, your panels can do their job effectively.

Even on dull, cloudy days, solar panels still generate energy (Image credit: Adobe)

Solar panels generally work with the highest efficiency for about 30 years, with their energy generation dropping off after then. Most modern panels claim to still be able to operate at 85-90% efficiency after 25-30 years, and many panels come with warranties that guarantee a performance of 80% and above

Solar panels generally have a lifespan of around 30 years. After this point, their efficiency starts to wane and they generate less electricity from their cells. Most solar panels these days claim to be able to generate 85-90% of their output potential after 25-30 years within the warranty period, which can be 20-25 years. However, with proper care, your panels can last more than 40 years before their performance warrants a replacement.

Installing solar panels can save you over £1,000 per year on your energy bills. But the exact amount that you can save will depend on a few things. The size of your solar panel system is one of the driving factors in how much you’ll save, that and your electricity consumption. Your house's location also affects savings, this is to do with your roof's angle and whether your house is south-facing or not.

The time it takes you to break even from solar panels varies, but the average break-even time is around six to seven years. It used to take far longer to break even from solar panels investments, but luckily that time has decreased in recent years.

When compiling this review, we read and analysed over 500 customer reviews as well as dozens of reports and reviews by solar panels UK experts and installers. We used a scoring system to evaluate the LG NeON H BiFacial solar panels, scoring against the criteria that most homeowners would consider when making a solar panel purchase.

The score sheet evaluated the following:

Each manufacturer received a total score out of 100.

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