What brand of solar panels does AJ Long Electric install?

Your written proposal names the exact panel model and includes its datasheet, listing, and warranty terms. We pick the panel for your roof, your shade, and your tax situation, then show you why.

Are higher-efficiency panels always better?

No. Efficiency matters when roof space is the limit. On a large, open roof plane, a panel with lower efficiency and the same total wattage produces nearly the same energy. On a small hip roof or a plane broken by vents and skylights, higher efficiency fits more kilowatts.

What does UL 61730 mean on a solar panel?

It is the U.S. safety standard for photovoltaic modules, harmonized with the international IEC 61730 standard and written to comply with the National Electrical Code. Inspectors expect listed modules.

Does the country of manufacture affect my tax credit?

Not for a 2026 homeowner install, because the residential credit ended for systems installed after December 31, 2025. For rental or business property claiming the Section 48E credit, it may matter under the 2026 foreign-entity rules. Confirm with a CPA.

Solar panels

The Solar Panels We Install and How We Choose Them

Name: AJ Long Electric
Address: 2724 Dorr Ave, Suite 102, Fairfax, VA, 22031, US
Telephone: (571) 444-6886

We install listed panels sized to the roof you actually have. Every panel we put on a Northern Virginia roof is listed to UL 61730, fits the roof planes after setbacks and obstructions, and carries a written product and performance warranty from its manufacturer.

Get a roof study Call (571) 444-6886

Reviewed 2026-09-24

Colonial-style brick home with dark rooftop solar panels and closed exterior electrical equipment

Google reviews

1,463 across four profiles

Family-owned

Since 1996

Licensed and insured

VA 2705031092

On every install

Master electrician on site

Backed by

Workmanship warranty

Answer first

What we look for in a solar panel

We choose panels on four tests: safety listing, fit on your roof, the manufacturer's warranty terms, and where the panel was made when that matters for a rental or business owner's tax file. Brand is the last decision, not the first. The written proposal names the exact panel model and includes its datasheet.

Listed to UL 61730, the U.S. module safety standard harmonized with IEC 61730 and written to comply with the National Electrical Code.
Wattage and efficiency picked for your roof planes. A smaller hip roof needs more watts per square foot than a wide, open gable.
A product warranty and a separate performance warranty, both from the manufacturer, both in the proposal file.
For rental and business property, equipment sourcing that fits the 2026 federal foreign-entity rules. Confirm eligibility with a CPA.

Listing comes first

A Fairfax County permit reviewer and inspector expect listed equipment, and so do we. The U.S. module safety standard is UL 61730. In December 2017 the old U.S. standard, UL 1703, was harmonized with the international safety standard IEC 61730, and UL states that UL 61730 carries U.S. national differences so it complies with the National Electrical Code. New modules are evaluated to UL 61730.

Safety listing is one test. Durability is another. IEC 61215 covers design qualification for modules meant for long-term outdoor operation: a sequence of environmental and mechanical stress tests. The IEC itself notes those results are not a prediction of how many years a specific module will last. That is why we read the manufacturer's warranty terms as closely as the test certificates.

UL 61730 listing mark on the module label and datasheet.
IEC 61215 design qualification listed on the datasheet.
A mechanical load rating that covers the snow and wind loads the structural drawings use.
Compatibility with the racking system's UL 2703 listing, so the module and rail are evaluated together for bonding and fire classification.

Wattage and efficiency on Northern Virginia roofs

Wattage is how much power one panel produces at standard test conditions. Efficiency is how much of the roof area that power needs. On a roof with room to spare, a lower-efficiency panel of the same total wattage produces nearly the same energy. On the roofs we see most in Fairfax County, space is the limit, not the panel count.

Colonials and split-levels from the 1960s through the 1990s often have one usable south or west plane broken by a chimney, plumbing vents, and a skylight. Newer townhomes and single-family homes in Reston, Herndon, and Ashburn often have hip roofs with small triangular planes. On those roofs, higher-efficiency panels fit more kilowatts in the same space, and the design keeps panels clear of ridges, valleys, vents, and roof edges.

Tree cover changes the choice too. Shade from mature oaks and tulip poplars is the norm in much of Fairfax County. We pair panels with module-level electronics on shaded roofs so one shaded panel does not drag down the rest. Every production figure in your proposal is a modeled estimate for your roof, direction, and shade.

Panel warranties, explained

A solar panel usually carries two manufacturer warranties, and they cover different things.

Product warranty: covers defects in materials and workmanship of the panel itself, such as a failed junction box, a cracked backsheet, or frame problems. Read the term in years and what the manufacturer pays for: a replacement panel only, or also the labor to swap it.
Performance warranty: states the minimum share of rated output the panel keeps over time, usually as a first-year figure and a yearly decline after that. Read both numbers and the end-of-term percentage.
Degradation: every panel loses a small amount of output each year. Researchers at the national lab formerly known as NREL reviewed nearly 2,000 measured rates and found a median of 0.5 percent per year. A performance warranty is the manufacturer's written ceiling on that loss.
Claims: warranty claims usually need the serial numbers and installation records. We keep the panel serial map and datasheets in your project file and hand you a copy at closeout.

Solar panel lifespan and degradation

2026 sourcing rules: may matter for rental and business owners, confirm with a CPA

Homeowners can skip this section. The federal residential credit (Section 25D) does not apply to systems installed after December 31, 2025, so where a panel was made does not change anything on a 2026 homeowner's tax return.

Rental and business property is different. A solar system on depreciable property may qualify for the Section 48E investment credit if it is placed in service by December 31, 2027. Since 2026, federal law also denies that credit when too much of the system's manufactured equipment cost comes from a prohibited foreign entity: companies organized in, headquartered in, or controlled from China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea, plus companies with significant ownership or debt ties to them and companies on specified federal restricted lists.

For solar that begins construction in 2026, at least 40 percent of the equipment cost must come from other manufacturers. That rises to 45 percent for 2027 construction starts. The equipment that counts on a rooftop is the modules, the inverters or microinverters, and the racking rails and fasteners. Installation labor does not count. This is not an import ban: equipment from Vietnam, India, Mexico, Europe, or elsewhere is unaffected unless the manufacturer itself falls into one of those categories.

If you own a rental or business property, tell us at the site visit. Your CPA confirms whether the credit applies to your return.

Who installs them

Our own crews install every panel. There is no subcontracted electrical work and no commissioned sales team. A master electrician is on site for every solar project. The same company that sets the panels also handles the service panel, the backfeed breaker, grounding, the Fairfax County permit, and the Dominion or NOVEC interconnection.

Straight answers

Questions

What brand of solar panels does AJ Long Electric install?: Your written proposal names the exact panel model and includes its datasheet, listing, and warranty terms. We pick the panel for your roof, your shade, and your tax situation, then show you why.
Are higher-efficiency panels always better?: No. Efficiency matters when roof space is the limit. On a large, open roof plane, a panel with lower efficiency and the same total wattage produces nearly the same energy. On a small hip roof or a plane broken by vents and skylights, higher efficiency fits more kilowatts.
What does UL 61730 mean on a solar panel?: It is the U.S. safety standard for photovoltaic modules, harmonized with the international IEC 61730 standard and written to comply with the National Electrical Code. Inspectors expect listed modules.
Does the country of manufacture affect my tax credit?: Not for a 2026 homeowner install, because the residential credit ended for systems installed after December 31, 2025. For rental or business property claiming the Section 48E credit, it may matter under the 2026 foreign-entity rules. Confirm with a CPA.

Sources

Next step

See the panel we would put on your roof

Book a free roof study. The written proposal names the panel, the layout, and a modeled production estimate for your home.