Types of Panels

Types of Solar Panels out there:

1. Single Crystalline (also called mono crystalline)

Some think of these as the ‘Rolls Royce’ of solar panels. They are the oldest technology, and the most expensive to make, but they have the highest efficiency.

These can get 10-12% efficiency in the real world.

They are made from wine-bottle sized single silicon crystals and sliced up like salami to make the individual wafers. Each circular wafer has its sides cut square and the solar panel is made up of a matrix of these wafers laid flat like tiles on your bathroom floor.

They are the most tried and trusted technology and have very slow degradation – typically losing 0.25 – 0.5% per year.

Here’s what they look like.

2. Poly Crystalline (also called multi crystalline)

These panels are also sliced from long cylinders of silicon, but the silicon used is multi-crystalline which is easier to make. You can clearly see the crystals which are about 10cm diameter.

The are very similar to single-crystalline in performance and degradation, except they are slightly less efficient, typically 10-11%.

3. String Ribbon

This is a relatively new technique that uses less energy than the 2 above. They drag a pair of metal strings through a thin film of molten silicon and it creates a ribbon of silicon that doesn’t need to be sliced or diced any further.

Efficiency is 8-9%, and degradation performance is as the poly and mono-crystalline panels. The lower efficiency means a panel that is approx 30% bigger though.

4. Thin Film or Amorphous

This production technique sprays the silicon onto a base as a thin film. It is a very new technique, so its 20 year performance can only be estimated! One company guarantees less than 20% degradation over 20 years, which compares with 10% for the above 3 types of panel.

The production process is more energy efficient than any of the other panel types, so the cells are typically cheaper for the same rated power. But they are only 5-7% efficient so they are typically nearly twice the size, so you need a biggish roof!

Being in Australia and in the climate we are in every house will only benefit from Panel 1. Single Crystalline (also called mono crystalline). These Panels have the highest efficiency. All RME Packages come with high quality Sunny Roo Mono Crystalline Panels and are as “tough as nails”