SolarXport

SolarXport, an Antwerp-based export team founded in 2015, sources modules, inverters and storage through one point of contact, so the datasheet and bill of materials questions above go to a single inbox. It publishes solar panel datasheets by brand and takes a bill of materials through its quote form. For your next order, pick one model, pull its datasheet and its scorecard entry, and send both with your quote request. Anyone buying solar panels wholesale this year should read that twice. A famous brand on the pallet label doesn’t guarantee a sound module inside, and a supplier saying “Tier 1” doesn’t settle the question either.

What Tier 1 actually measures

BloombergNEF’s list tracks bankability. A manufacturer gets on it by supplying six non-recourse financed projects of at least 10 MW each, backed by six different lenders. That tells you lenders know the brand. It says little about how a module ages.

BNEF’s own methodology describes the list as a gauge of industry acceptance and admits that some listed makers have had quality problems or gone bankrupt.

Checking is awkward too, because the list sits behind a Bloomberg subscription, so you can’t verify a salesperson’s claim yourself. BNEF also publishes no Tier 2 or Tier 3 lists. Those terms are marketing.

To be fair, the label isn’t worthless. Banks rarely fund large projects on modules they distrust, which is why Tier 1 panels are typically decent. Treat it as a floor for a supplier’s track record and a poor stand-in for test data.

Where to look instead

Kiwa PVEL publishes its scorecard free online, and the database filters by manufacturer and module design and exports to CSV. Search for the exact model on your quote, not just the brand.

Results are scored per bill of materials, meaning the specific cells and glass a maker uses, so a strong result for one model doesn’t automatically carry over to another. The same edition named 43 manufacturers as Top Performers in at least one test, so good options exist and the database shows which models earned the label.

Mind the technology too. TOPCon dominates the 2026 scorecard, and PV Tech’s coverage points to heavy research attention on UV-induced degradation in TOPCon modules. That’s no reason to rule TOPCon out. It is a fair reason to ask which tests your specific module passed.