Poly-Crystalline Versus Mono-Crystalline And Other Types Of Solar Panels

Polycrystalline versus monocrystalline and other types of solar panels

If you’re considering installing solar photovoltaics (PV) the biggest factor affecting the final price, and the return on investment you will receive, is which type of solar panels to choose.

PV panels can be split into a couple of categories, most are either polycrystalline or monocrystalline, which refers to the way they are manufactured.

Poly And Mono Christalline Cells

Polycrystalline solar panels are made up from cells which are formed from multiple silicon crystals and normally have a sparkly blue appearance. By way of comparison, monocrystalline solar cells are made from a single silicon crystal and do not have the multiple grain boundaries which you see in polycrystalline cells. The main point here though, is that monocrystalline solar panels are a bit more expensive and more powerful than polycrystalline panels. However, due to advanced manufacturing techniques polycrystalline solar panels are now nearly as efficient as their monocrystalline alternatives.

PERC Cells

Passivated emitter rear contact (PERC) solar cells consists in the addition of an extra layer to the rear-side of a solar cell. This dielectric passive layer acts to reflect unabsorbed light back to the solar cell for a second absorption attempt increasing the solar cell efficiency. A PERC is created through an additional film deposition and etching process. Etching can be done either by chemical or laser processing. This technology has been adopted by many manufacturers and become very cost effective.

Amorphous Cells

Amorphous silicon does not contain the same structure as poly or monocrystalline silicon, with atoms forming a more random network which is less effective at absorbing energy from daylight. The advantages of amorphous silicon however, are that it can be deposited onto a substrate at low temperatures, making it possible to produce solar panels on glass and even on flexible plastic. The little solar strip on a calculator is made from amorphous silicon. Whilst amorphous silicon increases the range of applications for photovoltaics they are not as efficient as poly or monocrystalline products.