4 Ways to Harvest Solar Energy for Your Home

The average homeowner is likely to feel overwhelmed by all the different options and types of solar panels available on the market today.  So let’s look at the different types of solar cells, focusing on photovoltaic solar cells, and their benefits and disadvantages.

Crystalline Silicon — Crystalline silicon is the most commonly distributed form of solar panel, making up as much as 95 percent of all shipments in the United States as recently as 2011.  The focus for a consumer should be on the purity of the silicone, which increases the efficiency of the solar panels.

Mono-Crystalline —  Mono-crystalline stands for the singular crystalline structure. This type of solar panel is characterized by its uniform color and the cylindrical shape of the cells.  The advantage of mono-crystalline cells is they are highly efficient. In addition, it is highly space efficient and enjoys a longer lifetime than the average solar panel.  As you can imagine the disadvantage is cost: process of manufacturing the refined silicone creates a lot of waste and thus drives up cost.

Poly-Crystalline — A multi-crystalline structure means the silicone is less refined, which means the individual cells are less efficient. But, the solar panels cost considerably less, due to lest waste during production. The main drawback is they have mediocre performance compared to the mono-crystalline units.

Thin-Film Cells — Thin-film photovoltaic cells are the new up-and-comer, showing a 60 percent growth every year from 2002 to 2007, and carving out about 5 percent of the market.  They currently average less efficiency but recent advancements expect to increase the efficiency rating considerably.  They are cheaper to produce because they are easily mass produced and show greater resistance to losses in efficiency from things like heat and shading. The disadvantage of thin-film cells is in the amount of space needed to make them viable.

Finding the right type of solar panel really boils down to the amount of space available to install them. If you only have a small amount of space, mono-crystalline might be the way to go if you can overcome the cost.  If you’re looking for a cheaper option and space isn’t as much an issue, poly-crystalline may be your best option.  And if you not in the market right now, keep an eye on thin-film cells for the future.

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