LG vs Q CELLS Solar Panels: What Changed and What to Buy Now

Quick answer: This comparison has a twist most buyers do not know. LG stopped making solar panels in 2022 and exited the business. So there is no current LG panel to buy. Qcells is still manufacturing and has built significant capacity in the United States. If you own LG panels, they are fine and still warranted, but you should understand who honours that warranty. If you are shopping today, the real comparison is Qcells against other active manufacturers.

What this guide covers

• What happened to LG solar
• If you already own LG panels
• Where Qcells stands today
• How to compare any two panels
• Why US manufacturing matters right now
• Common mistakes
• FAQ

What happened to LG solar

LG announced in 2022 that it was leaving the solar panel business. The company cited raw material costs and intense price competition. Production wound down that year.

This mattered because LG panels had a strong reputation. They were premium products with high efficiency and long warranties, and they were widely recommended.

The exit is a useful lesson about panel buying generally. A 25-year warranty is a promise from a company, and companies change direction. Warranty strength is partly about the paper and partly about who is likely to still be trading in fifteen years.

If you already own LG panels

Do not panic. The panels themselves are good hardware and they keep producing exactly as before.

Three practical steps are worth taking. First, find and store your original documentation, including the model numbers, the warranty certificate and the installation date. Second, confirm with your installer who now handles warranty claims and replacements. Third, understand that if a panel fails, the replacement will likely be a different make.

That last point has a technical consequence. Mixing panel models within one series string causes mismatch losses, because the string current is limited by the weakest module. If you have a string inverter, discuss the replacement plan before you need it. Systems with microinverters or optimizers handle mixed modules far more gracefully.

Our warranty claims guide covers the documentation you will need.

Where Qcells stands today

Qcells, owned by Hanwha, remains an active manufacturer and has invested heavily in United States production capacity, notably in Georgia.

Its cells use a passivated emitter and rear cell architecture that the company markets under its own name, and its newer lines have moved toward more advanced cell structures as the industry has.

Practically, Qcells sits in the mainstream tier. Efficiency is competitive rather than class leading, build quality is solid, warranty terms are conventional for the tier, and availability through US installers is good.

Domestic manufacturing is the differentiator worth understanding, and it is covered below.

How to compare any two panels

Product warranty deserves the emphasis. The power warranty promises the panel still makes a stated share of its rating in year 25. The product warranty covers the panel physically failing. The second is the one you are more likely to use.

Why US manufacturing matters right now

Current federal incentive rules include an additional bonus tied to domestic content. Systems that meet the thresholds can qualify for more than the base credit.

The rules are detailed and they turn on the share of manufactured product cost that is domestic, not simply on where the final assembly happened. That means a panel assembled in the United States from imported cells may or may not qualify depending on the calculation.

Do not take a salesperson’s word on this. Ask for the manufacturer’s own domestic content documentation, and confirm eligibility with a tax professional. See solar tax credits and incentive stacking rules.

Common mistakes

Shopping for a discontinued brand. If a quote offers LG panels today, ask hard questions about their source and their warranty support.

Chasing the highest efficiency number. Unless your roof is small, extra efficiency mostly buys fewer panels, not more energy per dollar.

Ignoring the temperature coefficient. In a hot climate this affects real annual yield more than a point of rated efficiency.

Mixing module types in one string. Series strings run at the weakest module’s current.

Assuming a warranty is transferable. Check the transfer terms before you sell the house.

FAQ

Does LG still make solar panels?
No. LG exited the solar panel business in 2022 and wound down production that year.

Are my existing LG panels still under warranty?
Warranty obligations generally continue, but confirm with your installer who administers claims now and keep your original documentation.

What should I buy instead of LG?
Compare current mainstream manufacturers on product warranty, temperature coefficient, degradation rate and the maker’s likely longevity, rather than on brand reputation alone.

Are Qcells panels made in the United States?
Qcells has substantial US manufacturing capacity. Whether a specific model meets the domestic content bonus thresholds is a separate question with its own documentation.

Can I replace one failed LG panel with a different brand?
Physically yes. Electrically it causes mismatch in a series string. Systems with microinverters or optimizers tolerate it much better.

Is a higher efficiency panel worth paying for?
Only if roof area is limited. Otherwise the cost per kilowatt-hour usually favours a mainstream panel.

How long should a panel last?
Most panels are warranted for 25 years of output and continue producing beyond that at a gradually reduced level. See degradation rates.

Where to go next

Read best solar panel brands for the current field, cell technology compared for what is coming, and solar panel cost for pricing.

Module performance data is published by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.