If you''ve considered adding solar panels to your home, you''ve probably also considered the amount of money and energy you could save by doing so. The potential savings is important, of course, but it isn''t the only thing to keep in mind when it comes to making the switch—you also need to decide what type of solar panels are right for you.
Because there are several types to choose from, it isn''t as easy as simply scheduling an installation appointment.
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The first thing to do when figuring out which type of solar panel is right for your home is to acquaint yourself with the choices at hand as well as how many solar panels you want and a list of solar panel installation companies.
According to Energy Sage, a U.S. Department of Energy-endorsed online resource that allows consumers to comparison shop for solar energy, there are three main types of solar panels available for residential use. They are: monocrystalline, polycrystalline and thin-film.
A fourth option, solar roofing shingles, is a newer and more expensive technology—but certainly a suitable (and enticing) choice for those with the budget to cover the initial costs.
When you picture rooftop solar panels, you probably picture monocrystalline simply because they are very commonly used. And while all solar panels offer some level of energy efficiency, monocrystalline is considered the most efficient of the bunch. How efficient? Up to 20%, Energy Sage reports, meaning that 20% of the sunshine that hits a monocrystalline panel is converted into usable energy. Monocrystalline panels are also:
The downside? Monocrystalline often requires a larger upfront investment than some other types of solar panels. This is because they are more expensive to make—a cost that, naturally, gets passed on to the consumer.
And if 20% isn''t quite efficient enough for you? No worries—under the monocrystalline umbrella falls an additional type of solar panel called the PERC (passivated emitter and rear cell). While use of this technology is still ramping up, experts say it offers even more efficiency than traditional monocrystalline panels (thanks to an added layer of silicon material on the panel''s back side) and isn''t particularly cost prohibitive to manufacture.
Polycrystalline panels, on the other hand, are less expensive to make and therefore less expensive for the customer. The cost difference is attributed to the manufacturing process—rather than the individual silicon crystals used to make monocrystalline, polycrystalline panels are made from many different pieces of silicon that are separated into fragments and melted together.
Thin-film solar panels have a few advantages over monocrystalline and polycrystalline ones. First of all, they are comparatively lightweight. They are also malleable (the others are rigid), making them easier to install than the thicker, heavier varieties.
They are also far more affordable to manufacture than other types of solar panels and also more affordable to install.
Amorphous solar panels are silicon-based, like the others, but in this case, the silicone portion is just the first of three very thin layers (the second layer is heat-conductive; the top layer is protective).
Amorphous panels also do well in warmer climates because they can withstand intense heat and are more adept at generating energy on darker days (meaning the sun doesn''t have to be shining bright in a clear blue sky for them to do their job).
Unfortunately, amorphous panels don''t last as long as other types of solar panels—according to the American Solar Energy Society, you''ll only get between 10 and 20 years out of them. Furthermore, they are only around 7% efficient.
Produced with cadmium, which the Occupational Safety and Health Administration considers a toxic heavy metal, cadmium telluride thin-film is the second most used solar cell type in the world after crystalline cells. However, CdTes aren''t the best in terms of efficiency,
Also produced with cadmium, Copper gallium indium diselenide (CIGS) thin-film is above-average in efficiency but is very expensive. The cells place Copper, Indium, Gallium, and Selenide layers on top of each other to efficiently convert sunlight into energy.
PERC (passivated emitter and rear cell) panels are a newer type of solar technology designed to be more efficient than traditional monocrystalline panels. While this technology is still ramping up, PERC panels feature silicon material on the panel''s backside to achieve higher energy conversion efficiency. They also aren''t particularly cost-prohibitive to manufacture.
Monocrystalline solar panels are the front runner as the most efficient panels with 20% and up. Polycrystalline solar panels are a close competitor with 15% – 17% efficiency. While CIGS thin-film has 13% – 15% efficiency, CdTe thin-film has 9% – 11% efficiency, and a-Si thin-film has 6% – 8% efficiency.
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