Types of Solar Panels You Should Know and Which Is Best For You

Installing a solar panel is a very critical task. You often have to consider factors like cost, energy efficiency and the likes.

However, even after noting these factors, people always seem to forget that the type of solar panel you use is extremely important. Becoming well versed on this would help you to estimate your purchasing as well as how the panels would look like on the roof.

Without any further ado, let’s get into the 2 main types of Solar panels:

• Monocrystalline Solar Panels : Monocrystalline solar panels are made out of 40 monocrystalline solar cells, which are made from pure silicon. In the manufacturing process (called the Czochralski method), a silicon crystal(hence its name) 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 sunlight reflects on pure silicon.

Fun fact, monocrystalline solar panels are also the world’s oldest type of solar panels and the most developed

• Polycrystalline Solar Panels : They are made from the same silicon material as monocrystalline, but with a huge difference – polycrystalline cells are made from fragments of the silicon crystal instead! 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.

In contrast to monocrystalline, polycrystalline cells are blue in color because of the way sunlight reflects on the crystals.

Fun fact – most of your favorite solar packages from Solynta Energy come with polycrystalline solar panels! They are also newer in technology and efficient and affordable for residential homes.

Which Type Of Solar Panel Is Best?

To answer this question, we would look at two main factors to be considered when choosing your solar panel:

• Cost
• Efficiency

1. Cost: We know how everyone looks at their budget when buying solar equipment, so we would be glad to give you the ‘411’ on this. The monocrystalline solar panels are the most expensive solar panels on the market right now, as manufacturing pure silicon is not cheap, so polycrystalline solar panels are your best bet, cost-wise these are the most widely used around the globe.
2. Efficiency: This is how much energy a solar panel can produce from the amount of sunlight it receives. Most often, monocrystalline are marginally better, as they have a 20% efficiency against polycrystalline panels that have up to 17% efficiency, but new technologies are on the up everyday and that makes the differences between polycrystalline solar panels and monocrystalline solar panels lesser.

For more guidance on solar panels and our packages, visit www.solyntaenergy.com !