Solar Modules and Its Type

Photovoltaic panels, otherwise known as PV panels or solar panels, use solar cells to convert sunlight into electricity. These are also known as "solar modules".

The three most common types of solar modules are Monocrystalline, Polycrystalline, and Amorphous.

Monocrystalline solar modules are made from a single large crystal, cut from ingots. These are the most efficient modules, though also the most expensive.

Polycrystalline solar modules are cast blocks of silicon which contain many small crystals. They are slightly less efficient than single crystals, but once set into a frame with 35 or so other cells, the actual difference in watts per square foot is not much.

Amorphous solar modules are also called "thin films". In this type, the silicon is spread directly on large plates or flexible laminates. They are cheaper to produce, but often much less efficient, which means larger panels for the same power.

The difference between crystalline and amorphous solar modules is in their sunligh-to-electricity conversion efficiencies and power densities. Crystalline modules require less space than thin-film modules for the same amount of power. Thin-film is less efficient in the conversion of sunlight to electricity.

Single and multi-crystalline solar modules have typical conversion efficiencies between 12% and 17%. Thin-film technologies can have half that, ranging from 6% to 8%. Thin-film solar modules take up about twice as much space to generate an equivalent amount of energy compared to crystalline solar modules.

Besides power density, there are two key differences in performance between crystalline and thin-film technologies. The first is impact of cell temperature on power production. The second is initial module power stabilization.

There are currently a wide variety of brand names selling each of these three types of solar modules. You simply have to determine which one is right for you based upon the amount of power you need to generate and what you can afford.