Monocrystalline Vs Polycrystalline Solar Panels

In recent years polycrystalline silicon solar panels have surpassed monocrystalline to become the highest selling type of solar panel for residential projects.

Monocrystalline vs polycrystalline solar panels.

If you ve ever seen a solar panel and hopefully you have chances are it was a crystalline silicon solar panel the dominant type of solar cell out there. One of the reasons people tend to choose monocrystalline solar panels is because of how they look. Monocrystalline solar panels are the most popular solar panels used in rooftop solar installations today. Monocrystalline solar panels remained the number one seller in the industry for many decades yet that s no longer the case.

The solar cells within monocrystalline panels are a single flat black color which makes them popular among homeowners. Polycrystalline solar panels are also made from silicon. Monocrystalline solar panels appear to be quite expensive when compared to polycrystalline panels. The manufacturer shapes raw silicon wafers into uniformly sized silicon cells.

Traditional solar cells are made from silicon a conductive material. Polycrystalline solar panels generally have lower efficiencies than monocrystalline options but their advantage is a lower price point. In addition polycrystalline solar panels tend to have a blue hue instead of the black hue of monocrystalline panels.