A photovoltaic module or photovoltaic panel is a packaged interconnected assembly of photovoltaic cells, also known as solar cells. The photovoltaic module, known more commonly as the solar panel, is then used as a component in a larger photovoltaic system to offer electricity for commercial and residential applications.
Types of Solar Panels:
Monocrystalline are made from a large crystal of silicon. These type are the most efficient as in absorbing sunlight and converting it into electricity, however they are the most expensive. They do somewhat better in lower light conditions then the other types of solar panels.
Polycrystalline are the most common type on the market today. They look a lot like shattered glass. They are slightly less efficient then the monocrystalline solar panels and less expensive to produce. Instead of one large crystal, this type of solar panel consists of multiple amounts of smaller silicon crystals.
Amorphous (thin-film) consist of a thin-like film made from molten silicon that is spread directly across large plates of stainless steel or similar material. These types have lower efficiency then the other two types , and the cheapest to produce. One advantage of amorphous solar panels over the other two is that they are shadow protected. That means that the solar panel continues to charge while part of the solar panel cells are in a shadow.
Efficiency
Solar Panel efficiency is the percentage of solar energy that is captured and converted into electricity. It’s difficult to give an exact number, so the numbers below are an average percentage of efficiency that the different types of solar panels output. Thin film will generally degrade approximately 1% each year, where as crystalline panels degrade at approximately .5% .
Monocrystalline – 18%
Polycrystalline – 15%
Amorphous – 10%
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