Which Solar Panel Type Is Best? Mono , Polycrystalline OR Thin Film

Which Solar Panel Type is Best?


You are thinking about purchasing solar panels, but got confused about which type to go for? You’re at the right place. There’s a myriad of variables that you should take into account when you are buying a photovoltaic (PV) system.


In this article, I’m going to go through the different types of solar panels for residential and commercial use (mono-, polycrystalline and thin film). Which one would be the better choice in your particular situation depends on a whole host of variables. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with one of our experts:

Let’s first take a look at the different types of solar panels currently on the market, list their benefits and downsides, and then look at a few typical scenarios where certain types would be the better than others (hopefully one of them resonates with you).

Crystalline Silicon (c-Si)

Almost 90% of the World’s photovoltaics today are based on some variation of crystalline silicon. The main difference of these PV-cells is the purity of the silicon. What exactly do I mean by silicon-purity? To answer short, the silicon molecules are arranged in a specific way to enhance sunlight-to-electricity conversion (the photovoltaic effect).

As a general rule of thumb, purity and efficiency goes hand in hand, but the processes used to increase the purity of silicon is expensive. This means that a higher efficiency solar panel not necessarily has the lowest cost per rated power. Crystalline silicon is used in mono- and polycrystalline solar cells today:

Mono crystalline Silicon Solar Cells

Solar cells made of monocrystalline silicon, also called single-crystalline silicon (sc-Si), are quite easily recognizable by an external even coloring and uniform look, indicating high silicon-purity, as you can see on the picture below:

Another good way to seperate mono- and polycrystalline solar panels is that the polycrystalline solar cells are perfectly square. Monocrystalline solar cells are made out of silicon wafers, which comes in cylinders. To optimize performance and lower costs of a single solar panel, the cylinder wafers a chunk of  their edges squared away, resulting in the characteristic look you can see above.

Advantages

1: Since monocrystalline is of the highest grade of silicon-purity, solar panels made of it are the most efficient. The efficiency rate (how much of the energy in the form of sunlight is converted to electricity) usually end up somewhere between 12-19%.

2: Another way of saying high efficiency is space-efficient. Since monocrystalline silicon panels yield the highest power outputs, they also require the least amount of space to achieve a desired capacity compared to the other types. Monocrystalline silicon panels usually has somewhere between 60 and 72 solar cells, the equivalent to an output of 120-300 Wp (watt-peak).

3: Monocrystalline solar panels tend to last longest and the majority of the manufacturers put a 25-year warranty on them.

Usually performs better than a similarly rated polycrystalline solar panel at lower light and lower temperature conditions.

Disadvantages

1: Monocrystalline solar panels are the most expensive. From a financial standpoint, if you have sufficient space, you should choose a solar panel that is made of polycrystalline or amorphous silicon.

2: If the panel is partially covered with shade, dirt or snow, the entire circuit is broken. If you are not using micro-inverters, this could mean that the entire array with solar panels takes a big hit performance-wise.

3: To make monocrystalline silicon, we have to grow large cylindrical ingots with the Czochralski process. Due to the geometry of these ingots, monocrystalline silicon cells are not entirely square, and significant amounts of the silicon ends up as waste.

4: Monocrystalline solar panels are more efficient in cold weather, but as the temperature increases, the electrical conversion rates goes down.


Mono Solar Panel pics

Polycrystalline Silicon Solar Cells

Polycrystalline silicon, also known as polysilicon (p-Si) and multi-crystalline (mc-Si), started appearing on the market in 1981. Somewhere around 45% of today’s solar panels are made of this type of silicon. Polycrystalline silicon is not made with the Czochralski process as its precursor is. Instead, raw silicon is melted and poured into a square mold, which when cooled can be cut into perfectly square wafers.

Advantages

1: The process we use to make polycrystalline silicon (described above) is simpler and cost less. Since the wafers already are square, there is also less waste than with monocrystalline. Therefore, polycrystalline solar panels cost less.

2: Polycrystalline solar panels have higher heat tolerance than those made of monocrystalline silicon. Temperatures affect performance of a solar panel and can also reduce its lifetime. However, most monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar panels come with a the same warrant of 25 years these days.

3: Tend to perform better than mono crystalline at high temperatures.

Disadvantages

1: Solar panels made of polycrystalline silicon are not as efficient as mono crystalline silicon since the silicon is less pure. Lower heat tolerance also contributes negatively on the efficiency rates. 

2: However, the technology is constantly improving. Polycrystalline silicon panels are getting closer to the efficiency rates of mono crystalline silicon.

3: Therefore, you need to cover a larger surface to output the same electrical power as you would with a solar panel made of monocrystalline silicon.

4: Some people think that monocrystalline and thin film solar panels looks better since they have a uniform color compared to the speckled blue aspect of polycrystalline silicon.

Poly Solar Panel Pics