How to Choose Solar Panel?

When purchasing and choosing solar panels, many there are many benefits of solar panels will be considered, such as cost, aesthetics and energy efficiency. But there is an important factor in the solar panel that will affect all other factors:  which is what type of solar panel you choose.

How many types of solar panels on the market? There are three different types of solar panels, each with its advantages and disadvantages. What type of solar panel should be chosen will depend on your specific situation, and what you hope the solar panel can do for you. Here we will discuss 3 types of solar panels, the advantages and disadvantages of each type, and how to choose the most suitable solar panel type for you.

solar panel

3 Types of Solar Panels

There are three different types of solar panels, they are monocrystalline silicon solar panels, poly crystalline silicon solar panels, and thin film (amorphous silicon) solar panels. Each type of solar cell is made uniquely and has a different aesthetic appearance. Here are some introductions:

1. Monocrystalline silicon solar panel 

Monocrystalline silicon solar panel is the earliest solar panel, which is also the most developed and has mature technology. These monocrystalline silicon solar panels are made of about 40 monocrystalline silicon. These solar cells are made of pure silicon. During the manufacturing process, silicon crystals are placed in a large barrel of molten silicon. Then, the crystal is pulled out of the barrel very slowly, allowing the molten silicon to form a solid crystal shell around it, called a silicon ingot. Then the ingots are cut into thin silicon wafers. The silicon chips are made into batteries, which are assembled together to form a solar panel. The conversion efficiency of Monocrystalline silicon solar panel is usually about 18-24%. 

Bodega Monocrystalline silicon solar panel 120W

Bodega Monocrystalline silicon solar panel 200W

 

2. Poly crystalline silicon solar panel

Poly crystalline silicon solar panels have only been developed several years. Like monocrystalline silicon solar panels, poly crystalline silicon cells are also made of silicon. However, poly crystalline batteries are made by melting pieces of silicon crystals together. During the manufacturing process, silicon crystals are placed in a large barrel of molten silicon. But the crystal is not pulled out slowly, but let it break and then cool. Then, once the new crystal is cooled in its mold, the broken silicon is thinly cut into poly crystalline solar silicon chips. These silicon chips are assembled together to form a polysilicon plate. The conversion efficiency of monocrystalline silicon solar panels is about 14-18%.

2 types of solar panels

3. Thin-film solar panel

Thin-film solar panel is a new development of solar panel industry. The most prominent feature of thin-film panels is that they are not always made of silicon. They can be made from a variety of materials, including cadmium telluride (CdTe), amorphous silicon (a-Si) and copper indium gallium selenium (CIGS). Compared with crystalline silicon solar panels, their biggest feature is they have great flexibility and strength, but their conversion efficiency is only 7-14%. Compared with other solar panels, its price is the highest.

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