As you consider a solar panel system, it’s important to choose the right type of solar panels for your situation as multiple factors can come into play like your budget, property, and location. Currently, there are three main types of solar panels on the market today: monocrystalline, polycrystalline (or multi-crystalline), and thin-film. This blog will explore the differences between each of these.
Monocrystalline:
Because the cells of monocrystalline panels are made from a single silicon crystal, they are the most efficient and longest-lasting panels. However, this comes at a cost. Monocrystalline panels tend to be the most expensive because manufacturing their pure silicon cells uses a lot of energy and produces a lot of wasted silicon. Sometimes, up to 50% of the originally used silicon can be wasted. The pure silicon gives these panels a dark black color, which can be used to visually identify them.
There are a few different types of monocrystalline panels on the market today like passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) panels and bifacial panels. PERC panels increase the amount of electricity produced by reflecting light back into a panel with a conductive layer in the back. Bifacial panels can also increase the amount of electricity produced by absorbing sunlight on both sides of the panel.
Polycrystalline:
The cells of polycrystalline panels are made from multiple silicon fragments instead of one single silicon crystal, as the name suggests. Oftentimes, the silicon wasted from producing monocrystalline panels is used for polycrystalline panels. The manufacturing process for polycrystalline panels is a lot simpler and cheaper than for monocrystalline panels because the silicon fragments are just melted together to produce the cells and little to no waste is produced. Although they are cheaper to manufacture, polycrystalline panels are less efficient than monocrystalline panels since the silicon in its cells is not pure. You can often identify polycrystalline panels from their blue color, resulting from the silicon fragments.
Thin-Film:
Thin-film panels are different from crystalline panels because they are lightweight and flexible, which can make the installation process a lot easier and cheaper. A big disadvantage though is that they have the lowest efficiency. Therefore, you would need more thin-film panels than other types of panels to produce enough electricity for your needs. Thin-film panels come in various types, depending on which materials are used in their thin layers.
Cadmium Telluride (CdTe):
Of all solar panel types, CdTe panels have the lowest carbon footprint, water requirement, and energy payback time. However, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration considers cadmium a toxic heavy metal. Therefore, recycling panels made with CdTe can be expensive.
Amorphous Silicon (a-SI):
The silicon in a-SI panels is not structured on the molecular level like it is with crystalline panels. In addition, not that much silicon is needed to produce its cells, so a-SI panels tend to have low efficiency. Thus, they are typically used for functions that don’t require that much power.
Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS):
CIGS panels consist of a layer of copper, indium, gallium, and selenium, whose combination results in the highest efficiency of thin-film panels. However, they’re not as efficient as crystalline panels.
Efficiency:
The more electricity that a solar panel produces, the higher its efficiency. If you’re looking for efficiency, then monocrystalline panels are the way to go.
Power Capacity:
Just like with efficiency, monocrystalline panels have the highest power capacity, the amount of electricity that can be produced at maximum capacity. They can produce up to 300 watts of power. Polycrystalline panels can produce between 240 and 300 watts of power. Because thin-film panels don’t have uniform sizes, there is no standard measure of power capacity. However, if given the same sizes, crystalline panels generally have a higher power capacity.
Cost:
As discussed earlier, the energy-intensive manufacturing process for monocrystalline panels leads them to be the most expensive. Because polycrystalline panels make use of silicon fragments, they are cheaper than monocrystalline panels but more expensive than thin-film panels. Keep in mind that the figures below don’t account for the cost of installation and labor.
Each type of panel has its advantages and disadvantages. When taking into account the differences between monocrystalline, polycrystalline, and thin-film panels, you should consider your own unique situation. For example, those with limited space should opt for high efficiency panels like monocrystalline panels to reach the full potential of a solar panel system.
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