Cell Solar Business

Monocrystalline

Monocrystalline solar panels are the oldest type of solar panel and the most developed. These solar panels are made from about 40 of the monocrystalline solar cells. These solar cells are made from pure silicon. In the manufacturing process (called the Czochralski method), a silicon crystal is placed in a vat of molten silicon. The crystal is then pulled up out of the vat very slowly, allowing for the molten silicon to form a solid crystal shell around it called an ingot. The ingot is then sliced thinly into silicon wafers. The wafer is made into the cell, and then the cells are assembled together to form a solar panel. Monocrystalline solar cells appear black because of the way sunlights interacts with pure silicon. While the cells are black, there’s a variety of colors and designs for the back sheets and frames. The monocrystalline cells are shaped like a square with the corners removed, so there are small gaps between the cells.

Polycrystalline

Polycrystalline solar panels are a newer development, but they are rising quickly in popularity and efficiency. Just like monocrystalline cells, polycrystalline cells are made from silicon. But polycrystalline cells are made from fragments of the silicon crystal melted together. During the manufacturing process, the silicon crystal is placed in a vat of molten silicon. Instead of pulling it out slowly, this crystal is allowed to fragment and then cool. Then once the new crystal is cooled in its mold, the fragmented silicon is thinly sliced into polycrystalline solar wafers. These wafers are assembled together to form a polycrystalline panel. Polycrystalline cells are blue in color because of the way sunlight reflects on the crystals. Sunlight reflects off of silicon fragments differently than it does with a pure silicon cell. Usually the back frames and frames are silver with polycrystalline, but there can be variation. The shape of the cell is a square, and there are no gaps between corners of cells.

Thin-Film

Thin-film solar panels are an extremely new development in the solar panel industry. The most distinguishing feature of thin-film panels is that they aren’t always made from silicon. They can be made from a variety of materials, including cadmium telluride (CdTe), amorphous silicon (a-Si), and Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS). These solar cells are created by placing the main material between thin sheets of conductive material with a layer of glass on top for protection. The a-Si panels do use silicon, but they use non-crystalline silicon and are also topped with glass. As their name suggests, thin-film panels are easy to identify by their thin appearance. These panels are approximately 350 times thinner than those that use silicon wafers. But thin-film frames can be large sometimes, and that can make the appearance of the entire solar system comparable to that of a monocrystalline or polycrystalline system. Thin-film cells can be black or blue, depending on the material they were made from.

Efficiency

Efficiency is how much energy the solar panel can produce from the amount of sunlight it receives. Essentially, efficiency determines how much power a solar panel can produce. The most efficient solar panel is the monocrystalline panels. Monocrystalline can reach over 20 percent efficiency. On the other hand, polycrystalline panels can usually only reach 15 to 17 percent efficiency. This gap between the two panels may be closing in the future as technology improves to make polycrystalline panels more efficient. The least efficient solar panel is the thin-film. Thin-film usually has lower efficiency and produces less power than either of the crystalline options with efficiency at only approximately 11 percent. The power capacity of a thin-film panel can vary though because there isn’t a standard size, and some models could produce more power than others.

Cost

Price can make or break a solar decision, and the types of solar cells you choose is one of the factors that affects price the most. The cheapest solar panels are thin-film panels because they can be manufactured at the lowest cost. The CdTe are the cheapest solar panels on the market, but the CIGS can be more expensive. Thin-film frames are usually lighter, so you can often save on installation costs. On the other hand, monocrystalline is the most expensive solar panel option right now. Manufacturing pure silicon can be expensive, and the panels and frames are heavy, leading to higher installation costs. Polycrystalline panels were developed to reduce the cost of solar panels, and they are usually more affordable than monocrystalline. But this gap between monocrystalline and polycrystalline panels may close as innovators discover more efficient ways to manufacture monocrystalline solar cells.

Other Factors

Besides cost and efficiency, there are several other factors to consider when choosing solar panels. One factor is the temperature coefficient. Monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar panels typically have a temperature coefficient around -0.3% / °C to -0.5% / °C. Thin-film panels have coefficients closer to -0.2% / °C. What this means is that as the temperature rises, certain types of solar panels will produce more power than others. This is especially important to consider in an area like North Carolina, where the temperature highs can be significant. Another factor to consider is the fire rating, which can vary based on the type of roof you have and the type of panel you choose. Fire isn’t the only natural disaster that can strike your roof, so you’ll also want to consider hail ratings. Most monocrystalline and polycrystalline panels can withstand 25mm falling at approximately 50 miles per hour, but the exact rating can vary and can affect the lifespan of your solar system.

Consider

You also may want to consider finding heterojunction solar cell technology (HJT) for your system that combines monocrystalline silicon wafers with amorphous silicon. HJT has peak efficiency with the lowest temperature coefficient and no Light Induced Degradation (LID). Finally, you’ll want to consider LID because degradation of efficiency can affect the amount of energy you’re able to produce. All of these various factors are considered by our engineers when designing and recommending a solar PV system. We look at the overall system lifecycle and efficiency not just in ideal scenarios but in all conditions that your solar PVsystem will be subjected to. It is a great idea to have a basic understanding of how solar panels work, but we understand it can be overwhelming to choose the proper type of solar panels.

Contact us

Our solar experts at Suncarry are available to assess your needs and help you make the best decision for your unique needs.

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