Types of Solar Panels

Monocrystalline Silicon Solar Panel

The photoelectric conversion efficiency of monocrystalline silicon solar panel is about 18%, and the highest is 24%, which is the highest among all kinds of solar panels. But the manufacturing cost is so high that it can not be widely used. Because monocrystalline silicon is generally encapsulated with tempered glass and waterproof resin, it is durable and has a service life of up to 25 years.

Polycrystalline Silicon Solar Panel

The manufacturing process of polycrystalline silicon solar panel is similar to that of monocrystalline silicon solar panel, but the photoelectric conversion efficiency of polycrystalline silicon solar panel is much lower, and its photoelectric conversion efficiency is about 16%. In terms of production cost, it is cheaper than monocrystalline silicon solar panel. The materials are easy to manufacture, save power consumption, and the total production cost is low. Therefore, it has been greatly developed. In addition, the service life of polycrystalline silicon solar panel is shorter than that of monocrystalline silicon solar panel. 

Amorphous Silicon Solar Panel

Amorphous silicon solar panel is a new thin-film solar panel appeared in 1976. It is completely different from the manufacturing method of monocrystalline silicon and polycrystalline silicon solar panels. The process is greatly simplified, the consumption of silicon materials is small, and the power consumption is lower. Its main advantage is that it can generate electricity under weak light conditions. However, the main problem of amorphous silicon solar panel is that the photoelectric conversion efficiency is low, which is about 10% of the international advanced level, and is not stable enough. With the extension of time, the conversion efficiency decreases.

Supplementary knowledge:

The measurement of solar panels is carried out under standard conditions (STC), which are defined as: atmospheric quality AM1.5, illumination intensity 1000W / m2 and temperature 25℃.

Under this condition, the maximum power output by the solar panel is called the peak power. The main factors affecting the output performance of solar panels are as follows:

1) Load impedance 2) Sunshine intensity 3) Temperature 4) Shadow