Key takeaways there are three main types of solar panels.
Poly and mono solar panels.
The polycrystalline silicon cells can convert 1000 w m 2 of solar radiation to 130w of electrical energy with a cell.
The older of the two mono panels are the most developed type of photovoltaic panel cells.
It is mainly used in large scale commercial applications.
Polycrystalline solar panels generally have lower efficiencies than monocrystalline options but their advantage is a lower price point.
Advantages of mono solar panels.
Polycrystalline solar panels are also made from silicon.
Polycrystalline solar panels are cheaper than monocrystalline panels.
This is primarily due to the fact that the four sides of each cell are cut resulting in large amounts of waste.
See an example of monocrystalline cells below.
Summary of mono and poly solar cells monocrystalline silicon cells can convert 1000 w m 2 of solar radiation into 140w of electricity with a cell surface of.
Monocrystalline cells are the most expensive option out of all the silicon solar cell types.
Polycrystalline solar cells are blended from multiple silicon sources and are slightly less efficient.
A mono solar panel is made with high quality silicon manufactured with intricate patterns across the surface making them easy to differentiate from poly solar panels.
Thin film technology costs less than mono or poly panels but is also less efficient.
Monocrystalline polycrystalline and thin film.
In addition polycrystalline solar panels tend to have a blue hue instead of the black hue of monocrystalline panels.
Looking at mono vs poly solar panels you can see that mono crystalline panels have a smoother more uniform appearance than poly crystalline panels.
Polycrystalline acts as a cheaper alternative to this.