With the development of science and technology and the concept of low-carbon and environmental protection, the home-style photovoltaic power generation system (solar power generation system) is also an increasingly mature technology. Because of the increase in electricity costs, photovoltaic power generation is a system that can reduce electricity costs and produce greener energy. It uses photovoltaic modules to convert light radiation into electrical energy. In recent years, it has been slowly recognized and accepted by the public in different countries. Traditional energy sources such as thermal power and hydropower are not used. Photovoltaic power generation is not only commercially available, but also available in many households.
As the question arises, which type of solar panel is most suitable for home use? Which brand of solar panels should we buy? It is different from other solar panels.
Solar panels can be divided into three categories: monocrystalline silicon solar panels, polycrystalline silicon solar panels, and amorphous silicon solar panels (thin-film solar panels), the difference lies in the size of the photoelectric conversion rate.
Monocrystalline solar panels:
Monocrystalline solar panels make silicon into strips and cut them into wafers. This type of panel is called "single crystal", which means that the silicon used is monocrystalline silicon and black photovoltaic cells with rounded edges. It has a higher conversion efficiency than polycrystalline silicon solar panels and amorphous silicon solar panels, which means that it can generate more kilowatt-hours of electricity, and its design is better than polycrystalline silicon solar panels and amorphous silicon solar panels. Many, the life expectancy is longer than them.
Related: What is Monocrystalline Solar Panel
Although the monocrystalline silicon solar panel is currently the most efficient solar panel, it is also the most expensive on the market because its manufacturing process is more complicated and takes longer. If you want to install it, you need to consider your own installation range and then calculate it per square meter. The price of monocrystalline silicon solar panels is calculated based on whether it is within the scope of one's own tolerance.
Polycrystalline silicon solar panels:
Polycrystalline silicon solar panels are also made of silicon. Instead of using monocrystalline silicon, many silicon fragments are melted together to form a wafer for panels. Polycrystalline silicon solar panels have blue photovoltaic cells with straight edges. Polycrystalline silicon solar panels are also called "polycrystalline" or polycrystalline silicon. Since there are many crystals in each unit, there is less freedom for electrons to move, which means you need more panels to achieve the same power output. Fortunately, the price of polycrystalline panels is also lower, because their manufacturing process is simpler than monocrystalline silicon solar panels.
At the same time, polycrystalline panels are very durable, but still slightly shorter than monocrystalline silicon solar panels. They are also more susceptible to high temperatures, which will reduce their photoelectric conversion rate in the hottest weather.
Amorphous silicon solar panels (thin film solar panels):
Amorphous silicon solar panels consist of one or more thin layers of photovoltaic materials placed on a substrate. These thin layers with multiple light-absorbing layers can be more than 300 times smaller than traditional silicon solar panels. Due to the size of photovoltaic cells used with built-in semiconductors, amorphous silicon solar panels are the lightest solar panels.
At the same time, amorphous silicon solar panels are also the cheapest, but the photoelectric conversion rate is also the lowest. However, a lot of installation space is needed to meet our energy needs.
How to choose the solar panel that suits you best?
(1) Cost of solar panels
Many people will first consider the cost of solar panels. Solar panels are not determined by the level of energy conversion rate and whether they look good or bad, but are determined by the output power, physical size, brand, quality of materials, and the length of life (including the warranty period), as well as some professional certification (guarantee yourself I bought it without any problems).
It is still too early to determine which solar panel you need to choose from the cost of solar panels. It is not the only factor you have to consider, because you still have many factors to consider. If you only consider the budget and choose the cheapest panel, this is definitely not the best choice.
Choosing solar panels is a very complicated process, you need to consider a lot, because they have a long service life, almost all have a life span of more than 25 years, so we have to consider the quality of solar panels prior to considering the cost of solar panels.
(2) Energy efficiency
The solar panel efficiency is the photoelectric conversion rate of the solar panel. As mentioned above, monocrystalline silicon solar panels do have the highest efficiency. But this does not mean that the other two solar panels are inferior products. What we need is the largest and most efficient solar panel, not directly specifying the highest conversion rate. We should find the solar panels that are most suitable for us according to our needs. We cannot underestimate or overestimate. Underestimation will lead to unsatisfactory final results, and overestimation will lead to spending a lot of money to meet our energy needs. All we need is to own it and do the most with the least amount of money.
(3) Temperature coefficient
The life of solar panels is determined by the power generation efficiency of solar panels, temperature, environment, dust in the air and other factors. When the solar panel works at a high temperature, the open circuit voltage will drop significantly as the temperature rises, and at the same time cause a serious deviation of the charging operating point, which is likely to damage the system due to insufficient charging. At the same time, the output power of the solar panel will also drop significantly with the height of the temperature, which will prevent the solar panel assembly from exerting its maximum performance. This reduces the amount of electricity we use.
(4) House installation area
Our roof space is fixed, and the corresponding solar panels are matched according to the amount of electricity used by the family.
Therefore, according to our budget, the power consumption and the available roof area are considered three-way, we finally decide which solar panel and the number of solar panels to choose.
Which solar panel is most suitable for home use?
Monocrystalline solar panels are the best type of solar panels for residential solar installations.
Although you will pay a slightly higher price, you will get a beautiful-looking system without sacrificing performance or durability. In addition, the high efficiency and rated power output you get through the single crystal panel can provide you with better savings during the entire life cycle of the system.
If your budget is tight, polycrystalline panels may be more meaningful to you. We do not recommend thin-film solar panels for residential installations-their performance and durability are not worth the low cost, and you are unlikely to have enough space to install the number of thin-film solar panels you need to cover household electricity.
