Mono And Poly Solar Panels Difference

Monocrystalline cells are the most expensive option out of all the silicon solar cell types.

Mono and poly solar panels difference.

Polycrystalline acts as a cheaper alternative to this. Of course as for all photovoltaic cells the output power is degrading over the years. Looking at mono vs poly solar panels you can see that mono crystalline panels have a smoother more uniform appearance than poly crystalline panels. This is primarily due to the fact that the four sides of each cell are cut resulting in large amounts of waste.

Manufacturing of mono and poly solar cells. Monocrystalline solar panels have solar cells made from a single crystal of silicon while polycrystalline solar panels have solar cells made from many silicon fragments melted together. See an example of monocrystalline cells below. Mono crystal solar panelsare made out of highly pure single piece silicon.

Polycrystalline solar panels are cheaper than monocrystalline panels however they are less efficient and aren t as aesthetically pleasing. In the industry these panels are simply referred to as mono and poly panels. Both mono and poly panels are very similar in terms of performance with mono being a slightly superior panel in terms of efficiency. The older of the two mono panels are the most developed type of photovoltaic panel cells.

The main difference between the two technologies is the type of silicon solar cell they use. It is mainly used in large scale commercial applications. Duration of mono and poly solar cells the expected life duration of monocrystalline cells is typically 25 to 30 years while for polycrystalline it is 20 and 25 years. People are often confuse when it comes to buy a solar panel.

Polycrystalline solar cells are blended from multiple silicon sources and are slightly less efficient. Thin film technology costs less than mono or poly panels but is also less efficient. Mono solar cell panels have a typical efficiency of around 15 at the 25 c mark which drops at 50 c by around 12 15. 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.

N type cells are more resistant to light induced degradation than p type cells. Monocrystalline solar cells are more efficient because they are cut from a single source of silicon.