Different Types of Solar Panels

Posted by admin on December 30, 2008

There are many types of solar panels out on the maket. Mainly you can break it down to Three different types. Monocrystalline, Polycrystalline, Amorphous

Monocrystalline Silicon Panels

Monocrystalline panels use crystalline silicon, a basic semiconductor material.   The way to identify whether a panel is Mono or Poly is simple. A Mono panel has individual cells. A Poly type panel is solid with what looks like flakes of silicon pressed together. . Monocrystalline panels are typically 15-18% efficient, meaning that for every unit of solar energy that hits the cell, the panel can convert 15-18% of this energy into electricity. These panels are usually more expensive.

Polycrystalline Silicon Panels
Polycrystalline, or multicrystalline, photovoltaics use a series of cells in place of the single large cell used in monocrystalline panels. These panels are the least expensive pv panel available today. The drawback to these panels is that they have lower efficiency rates at 12-14% efficiency.

Amorphous Silicon or Thin Film Panels
Thin-film panels are the lowest efficiency of any current photovoltaic technology at 5-6%. The primary advantage of thin-film panels lies in flexibility.