Solar panels have been around for years, but recently their popularity has exploded. Solar panels are used to generate electrical power from the sun. There are three main types of Solar Panels to look out for when buying renewable energy for your home or office, and they can be produced and found at any solar panel company in Edmonton. Each type has its strengths and weaknesses and has different uses.
Find out the different types of solar panels, the benefits of each type of solar panel and how they affect panels further up the production line.
Polycrystalline
Polycrystalline solar panels are the most common type of solar panel. They are made of many smaller crystals that form one larger crystal together. Polycrystalline panels typically have a lower cost per watt than other panels, such as monocrystalline or thin film. They are also more efficient at producing electricity than amorphous silicon panels and can be used in different applications than thin film solar panels.
Polycrystalline (poly) solar panels use photovoltaic (PV) technology to convert sunlight into electricity. PV cells are made of semiconductor material - usually silicon - doped with chemicals called impurities or dopants. This creates an electric field between the front and back sides of the cell when exposed to sunlight, which causes electrons to flow from the backside to the front side when connected with an external circuit. The following are some of the advantages of Polycrystalline solar panels:
● Cheaper to Manufacture:
Polycrystalline solar panels are easier to produce than monocrystalline ones,
which means they're cheaper to make and purchase. They also have a longer
lifespan so you can get more bang for your buck.
● Better in Low Light
Conditions: While both types of solar panels perform well under direct
sunlight, monocrystalline panels do not perform as well in low-light
conditions, like cloudy days. Because these panels have fewer photovoltaic
cells, they require more direct light to produce electricity efficiently. The
more cells you have on your panel, the more efficient it will be in low-light
conditions because each cell works harder than it would if there were fewer
cells on the panel. However, this also means that if there is too much shade on
your roof, it will be hard for your system to produce enough power for you to
use!
Monocrystalline
Monocrystalline is the most efficient and common type of solar panel. These panels are made from a single crystal of silicon, which is heated to extremely high temperatures and then cut into wafers. These wafers are then used to make the solar cells power the panels. The advantage to this is that it produces more power per square foot and weighs less than other types of panels. This makes them easier and cheaper to ship. They also have a longer lifespan than polycrystalline or amorphous solar panels. Monocrystalline solar panels have many advantages over other types of panels, including:
● High Efficiency: They can
convert up to 18% of sunlight into electricity, which is higher than any other
type of panel on the market today. This means that you'll be able to produce
more power from your solar array than with any other kind of panel.
● Long Lifespan:
Monocrystalline panels can last up to 30 years when properly installed, which
is longer than any other panel type available today. Because they're more efficient
than other types and last longer, they're less expensive over time than ones
made from cheaper materials like polycrystalline or amorphous silicon (a-Si).
● High Performance: Monocrystalline cells perform better than polycrystalline cells under extreme conditions such as high temperatures and low light levels (for example, cloudy).
Thin-Film
Thin-film solar panels are made of several materials, including cadmium telluride, copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) or amorphous silicon. These thin semiconductor layers are coated on top of glass or metal foils. They are lightweight, flexible and can be shaped into different forms. In addition to being flexible and lightweight, thin-film panels have other advantages over crystalline panels:
● Lower production costs:
Thin-film panels require less material than crystalline panels, reducing their
production cost.
● High efficiency: Lower
production costs result in lower-cost electricity generation than other solar
cells.
● Faster installation time:
Since thin-film modules are lighter than crystalline modules, they can be
installed faster than crystalline ones you only need Solar Companies Edmonton
to help you install them perfectly.
● Better stability: Thin-film modules are more stable than crystalline ones due to their lower weight and flexibility compared with crystalline ones.