Four Types Of Solar Panels:A Simple Comparison Guide

As the pioneer of clean energy, solar energy has brought people a kind of convenient and efficient energy that does not pollute the environment. It has developed to today and has been widely used in a lot of industries and households. Walking in the community, you can see the solar panels on many houses, black, blue, standing up, and lying flat.

Do you know the difference between them?

Today, I will show you four different types of solar panels, and analyze them from the four dimensions which are feature, structure, price and efficiency. At last, we will attach the type of use scenarios for you.

Mono-crystalline Solar Panels

Features: Mono-crystalline Solar Panels are mainly black, made of pure silicon, fixed on a non-fordable board, and have very good durability at high temperatures and a longer service life

Structure: Cut pure silicon into wafers and arrange them into a rectangle, and add a metal shell as a protective layer

Price: Usually high. Compared with poly-crystalline and thin-film solar panels, the cost is higher because the material used is pure silicon and the quality is better

Efficiency: The efficiency can reach 21% which is very high. It is a model of household daily use,. The power often exceeds 300w or even reaches 400w.

Poly-crystalline Solar Panels

Features: The color is mainly blue. Same as Mono-crystalline, it is made of silicon, but the quality of silicon is not as good as mono-crystalline. It is easier to produce but cannot work under high temperature for a long time.

Structure: It is made by silicon which melt in the container and then cut into wafers. At last, arrange and combine into a rectangle.

Price: Medium, much lower than the price of single crystal, and the quality and service life of silicon are reduced

Efficiency: Due to material problems, the efficiency is reduced by 5%-6% compared to single crystal, between 15%-17%.

Concentrated PV Cell

Features: Curved mirror surface, The panel has a solar tracker which help it follow the sun.

Structure: The curved mirror gathers the sunlight to achieve better results. It can only work when facing the sunlight. The internal tracker and a complete set of operating systems can operate well.

Price: Very high, not suitable for household daily use

Efficiency: Very high up to 41%, which is twice of a Mono-crystalline Solar Panels. This is based on a complete system and the combination of various details can achieve super high efficiency.

Thin Film Solar Panels

Features: The color is mainly black or blue according to the composition of the battery. It is foldable and flexible. It is the most widely used of the four types, and the easiest to carry. The thickness is only 1/350 of the mono-crystalline Solar Panels. Most of the foldable and flexible solar panels on the market are produced with thin film silicon. (ALLPOWERS foldable solar panels and flexible solar panels are made of thin film silicon)

Structure: Battery materials are mainly three kinds of materials, CdTe, a-si and CIGS.

Price: The cost is the cheapest compare to other type solar panels. But it also has the shortest life span.

Efficiency: Thin film is the lowest efficiency among the four batteries, between 8%-10%.

Which type Of Solar Panels Should I Choose?

For Mono-crystalline and Poly-crystalline Solar Panels

They are suitable for the rooftop, RVs and provide solar energy, make a reasonable choice according to your own budget. The advantage of poly-crystalline is cheap, but the efficiency of mono-crystalline will be much better.

For Thin Film Solar Panels

It is mostly suitable for all kinds of portable solar products and solar power banks. It is not very effective, but it can be used in an emergency when there is sun. It is a good choice for outdoor activities.

For Concentrated PV Cell

It has the highest efficiency, the highest cost, and the most difficult operation. It is mostly used in various new solar power plants. It is not a good choice for individuals or families. It is a choice at the national energy development level.