What Are Solar Panels?
We know that Sunlight is composed of photons. Photons contain several amounts of energy, corresponding to the various wavelengths of the solar spectrum. So, when Photons strike a Solar PV Cell (a semiconductor), they get reflected or absorbed or pass through. The absorbed photon’s energy when knocking an electron in an atom of PV cell it frees the electron from the atom, thus generating a flow of electricity. This way, the Solar PV Module convert the sun’s energy into DC. But as most homes and business run on alternating current (AC), so the Direct Current (DC) passes through an inverter to convert it into usable AC. At that point, you either use the electricity send it back to the electric grid or in your house store it with a solar battery.
Types of Solar Panels
There are three types of solar panels: polycrystalline, monocrystalline and thin-film.
To generate electricity, solar cells are formed from a semiconductor material that converts light into electricity—the most used silicon material as a semiconductor during the solar cell manufacturing process.
Monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar panels
Both polycrystalline and monocrystalline solar panels have cells made of silicon wafers. To build a polycrystalline or monocrystalline panel, wafers are assembled into rows and columns to form a rectangle, and covered with a glass sheet for framing together. Polycrystalline and monocrystalline panels vary in the composition of the silicon even though both of them have cells made from silicon. We need a single, pure crystal of silicon to cut monocrystalline solar cells. Whereas, polycrystalline solar cells are composed of fragments of silicon crystals that are melted together in a mould before being cut into wafers.
Monocrystalline typically have the highest power capacity and efficiencies. Most monocrystalline solar panels usually reach efficiencies higher than 20 per cent,
while polycrystalline solar panels usually have capabilities between 15 to 17 per cent.
Thin-film solar panels:
Thin-film panels consist of a variety of materials, unlike monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar panels. The most common type of thin-film solar panel is made of cadmium telluride (CdTe). Manufacturers need to place a layer of CdTe between transparent conducting layers that help capture sunlight to make this type of thin-film panel and this technology also has a glass layer on the top for security.
Thin-film solar panels can also be formed from amorphous silicon (a-Si), which is alike to the formation of monocrystalline and polycrystalline panels. Thin-film panels are not made up of solid silicon wafers even though they use silicon in their form,. Instead, they’re composed of non-crystalline silicon placed on top of glass, plastic, or metal.
Efficiencies will change based on the specific material used in the cells, but they usually have capabilities closer to 11 per cent.
Different between solar panel
| Solar panel type | Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Monocrystalline | High efficiency performance Aesthetics | Higher costs |
| Polycrystalline | Low cost | Lower efficiency/performance |
| Thin-film | Portable and flexible Lightweight Aesthetics | Lowest efficiency/performance |