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JA Solar is one of the largest global suppliers of solar panels and renewable power systems. The company stands out for taking total responsibility for the manufacturing of its panels and their underlying components, as well as its competitive prices.
Below, we’ve done a comprehensive JA solar panel review of the company and its solar panels to see if their low prices are a feature or a warning sign:
JA Solar company overview
JA Solar, short for JingAo Solar, was founded in 2005 in the Yangpu district in Shanghai. Today, its headquarters are in Bejing, China, with Chairman Jin Baofang and CEO Peng Fang at the head of the company. JA Solar is a solar development company specialising in the design, development, manufacture, and sale of solar cell and solar module products.
JA Solar operates according to its “One Body, Two Wings” strategy. The “One Body” refers to its primary operation, which is the integration of silicon wafers, cells, and modules. Its “Two Wings” refers to its auxiliary materials and equipment operations, which involve photovoltaic auxiliary materials and equipment as well as PV+ application solutions.
The company has made it to the Fortune 500 China 500 and Global Top 500 New Energy Enterprises for multiple consecutive years. Today, it employs over 32,544 and operates in over 135 countries. The company also achieved 166GW in cumulative shipments as of Q3 2023 with CNY72.9 billion in sales revenue for 2022.
JA Solar products
JA Solar is an end-to-end solar solutions supplier with a broad catalogue of products and systems. As mentioned, its PV cells are its primary product range, making its DeepBlue Series 3.0 and DeepBlue Series 4.0 solar panels its flagship series.
They also produce and supply a wider range of PV solar panels materials and components, including:
- Single crystal furnaces for growing PV crystals
- Graphite products, like draft tubes, heaters, insulating barrels, ink boats, crucible roads, electric sheaths
- Stencils for PV printing cells
- PV paste
- EVA films, POE films, and co-extruded PO films.
- Aluminium frame components
- PV junction boxes
- Carbon insulation cylinders, draft tubes, and crucibles
Furthermore, they offer complete PV solar panel systems, including solar panels, inverters, grid-connected boxes, and cables.
Last but not least, JA Solar also supplies a variety of energy storage systems for residential, industrial, and commercial (IC) and large-scale power generation applications, such as power stations or power grids.
Below, we’ll primarily focus on its solar panels offering.
What technology does JA Solar use in its solar panels?
JA Solar uses some of the most cutting-edge solar technologies in its solar panels. The exact technologies used are the main differentiator between its DeepBlue 3.0 and DeepBlue 4.0 solar panel ranges.
JaSolar was also the prototype of using gallium instead of boron in p-type modules thereby reducing the PID effect on the module and reducing its degradation from 20% after 25 years to about 15% over the same period.
N-type and P-type Solar Cells
JA Solar manufactures solar panels with both p-type (DeepBlue 3.0) and n-type (DeepBlue 4.0) modules. N-type solar cells feature negatively charged silicon, while p-type solar cells are positively charged. Solar panels with n-type cells tend to have higher efficiency with lower degradation. On the other hand, p-type cells are a highly mature technology and more cost-effective.
Bycium+ (n-type) cells are known for their high efficiency, achieving mass production efficiencies exceeding 24.8%. They also demonstrate a power generation gain of around 3.9% compared to traditional p-PERC modules.
Half-cell
Both ranges feature panels using JA Solar’s half-cell technology. This technology reduces the amount of electrical current flowing through each busbar by half. The upside of this is that less energy is lost to internal resistance, making the panels more efficient overall.
Bifacial cell modules
Both solar panel ranges also feature bifacial modules. These modules feature solar panel surfaces on both sides, allowing them also to capture light from the sun reflected off a surface behind them. This allows for increased energy capture and conversion.
A passivation layer helps reduce recombination losses by passivating the back surface of the solar cells from both sides, further enhancing performance. This technology is ideally suited for installations in car parks, deserts, or other areas with reflective surfaces.
JA Solar DeepBlue 3.0 Solar Panels
The DeepBlue 3.0 series represents the bread and butter of JA Solar’s PV modules:
Deep Blue 3.0 Light
This series is designed for efficiency and adaptability in both residential and smaller commercial installations. They are highly efficient for that compact form, making them extremely versatile.
The two main models within this range include:
- JAM54S31 MR
- JAM54S30 MR
Deep Blue 3.0
This series caters to a broad spectrum of applications. They are large and have greater power output than the Light series. They are still compact enough to be suitable for rooftop arrays but excel at ground-mounted setups. Models in this range are ideal for high-wattage installations, especially for small to medium commercial applications:
- JAM72S30 MR
- JAM72D30 MB
- JAM78S30 MR
- JAM78D30 MB
Deep Blue 3.0 Pro
Deep Blue 3.0 Pro by JA Solar is the advanced version of the 3.0 series, with enhanced durability and efficiency. This range has a wide range of options. These panels provide optimal performance for both residential and commercial sectors. JA Solar’s more affordable pricing strategy means that they are still within reach for most in the market.
This lineup includes:
- JAM54S31 GR
- JAM54S30 GR
- JAM54S30 LR
- JAM54D30 GB
- JAM72S30 GR
- JAM72S30 LR
- JAM72D30 GB
- JAM72D30 LB
- JAM78S30 GR
- JAM78D30 GB
JA Solar DeepBlue 4.0 Solar Panels
The DeepBlue 4.0 series are JA Solar’s most effective solar panels, pushing the boundaries of panel efficiency and integration capability. These solar panels are designed for high-end, large-scale applications like those in the commercial and industrial sector, as well as power plants.
With high-density encapsulation technology, increased power & efficiency, and lower degradation, they cater to the most demanding needs. Specifications for solar panels in this range feature wattage ratings as high as 640W with efficiencies of up to 23%.
Some of the best solar panels in this series include:
- JAM54D41 LB
- JAM54D40 LB
- JAM54D40 MB
- JAM54D40 GB
- JAM66D45 LB
- JAM66D42 MB
- JAM72D42 LB
- JAM72D40 LB
- JAM72D40 MB
Performance of the JA Solar solar panels
JA Solar has a track record of producing solar panels with impressive performance for its price bracket. It claims that its DeepBlue 3.0 series is capable of up to 24% cell conversion efficiency, with 26% for its DeepBlue 4.0 series in laboratory settings.
The actual energy efficiency is roughly between 21% and 21.9% for DeepBlue 3.0 and between 22% and 22.9% for DeepBlue 4.0. This is slightly lower than its competitor, Jinko Solar, whose solar panels often touch on the low 23%. Some higher-end competitors, like REC and SunPower, can even exceed 24% efficiency.
Although not as accustomed to setting world records as fellow Chinese competitor Jinko Solar, JA Solar has earned bragging rights for some of its innovations. In 2017, it set a new world record for power output in 60-cell PV modules using mono-Si PERC cells. It exceeded 325W to achieve an actual power output of 326.67W.
One of JA Solar’s most recent milestones is the mass production of its PERCIUM p-type monorystalline solar panels with an efficiency of 23.7%.
What is the JA Solar warranty?
JA Solar provides pretty competitive, yet somewhat standard, warranties for its solar panels. Most panels are covered by the same terms, which are a 12-year product warranty and a 30-year energy power output warranty.
Furthermore, its DeepBlue 4.0 solar panels guarantee a degradation rate of under 1% for the first year. These are also guaranteed toward an annual degradation rate of just 0.4%, meaning you should be left with roughly 87.4% efficiency at the end of the 30 years.
For its DeepBlue 3.0 solar panels, the annual degradation rate varies somewhat from model to model but typically falls between 0.45% and 0.55%.
This is a generous warranty compared to other cost-effective solar panel suppliers, which typically only offer 25-year warranties. However, some premium suppliers, like REC and SunPower, offer lower degradation rates, approaching 0.25% per year.
How much do JA Solar modules cost?
Among the larger names in the global solar module industry, JA Solar remains one of the most affordably priced. You can typically buy its panels for approximately €0.113/Wp to €0.25Wp per watt. Even its fellow Chinese counterpart, Jinko Solar, is generally priced at €0.12/Wp to €0.19Wp per watt.
The difference in price is almost negligible, although JA Solar has some higher-priced ranges. That’s what makes JA Solar a great value buy for a large share of the solar market, whether it’s for household or industrial-scale purposes.
Comparison of JA Solar solar panels models
Here’s a side-by-side comparison of models in JA Solar’s DeepBlue 4.0 range:
| Performance | Warranty | Power | |
| JAM54D41 LB | 21.5-22.8% | 30-year performance warranty, 12-year product warranty | 430-455W |
| JAM54D40 LB | 21.5%-22.8% | 30-year performance warranty, 12-year product warranty | 430-455W |
| JAM54D40 MB | 21.5%-22.8% | 30-year performance warranty, 12-year product warranty | 420W-445W |
| JAM54D40 GB | 21.5%-22.8% | 30-year performance warranty, 12-year product warranty | 420W-445W |
| JAM66D45 LB | 22%-23% | 30-year performance warranty, 12-year product warranty | 595W-620W |
| JAM66D42 MB | 22.1%-23% | 30-year performance warranty, 12-year product warranty | 575W-595W |
| JAM72D42 LB | 22%-22.9% | 30-year performance warranty, 12-year product warranty | 615W-640W |
| JAM72D40 LB | 21.9%-22.9% | 30-year performance warranty, 12-year product warranty | 580W-605W |
| JAM72D40 MB | 21.1%-23% | 30-year performance warranty, 12-year product warranty | 570W-595W |
| JAM78D40 MB | 22%-22.9% | 30-year performance warranty, 12-year product warranty | 615W-640W |
| JAM78D40 MB | 22%-22.9% | 30-year performance warranty, 12-year product warranty | 615W-640W |
Pros and cons of JA Solar panels
Pros:
- JA Solar controls the entire manufacturing chain of all its components and systems, ensuring high quality and consistency.
- Many of JA Solar’s panels, like those in the DeepBlue series, boast high efficiencies of up to 22.5%.
- With facilities and markets around the world, JA Solar has a strong international operational presence.
- JA Solar panels are some of the most affordable in the industry, particularly for the level of performance they offer.
- JA Solar is a recognised leader in the industry with a reputation for reliability.
Cons:
- The build quality and durability of its solar panels may not stand up to those of more premium competitors.
- There is some variability in efficiency across different models and series.
- It can be challenging to find accurate and reliable pricing information online.
JA Solar vs other solar panel manufacturers
JA Solar is recognised for providing great value through competitively priced solar panels without sacrificing efficiency or global accessibility. Their panels, particularly the PERC and N-Type technologies, hold up well against major competitors in terms of efficiency and performance.
In particular, its latest DeepBlue 4.0 series can compete closely with other prominent brands across the most important performance metrics.
While brands like SunPower may offer panels with higher efficiency rates and more robust warranties, JA Solar arguably offers a better overall balance of cost, efficiency, and availability. Their approach to pricing and technology makes JA Solar a viable option for those looking to own solar solutions on a budget without major compromises on quality and performance.
Summary – are JA Solar solar panels worth buying?
JA Solar’s diverse range of solar panels offers robust solutions for both residential and commercial needs, balancing cost-efficiency with high performance. With a strong presence in global markets and a commitment to innovative solar technology, JA Solar remains a competitive choice for those seeking reliable and efficient solar energy options.
