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Monocrystalline solar panels—mono panels as solar companies often refer to them—are thus named because they are made from a single pure silicon. Monocrystalline panels are the most common ones found on rooftops in residential solar systems because they are the best-suited panel for small spaces and last longer than polycrystalline and thin-film panels.
There are two different kinds of monocrystalline panels: passivated emitter and rear contact (PERC) and bifacial. PERC panels have a conductive layer added to the backside of cells to increase energy absorption. PERC panels are most commonly used in rooftop solar systems.
Similarly, bifacial panels can absorb light on both sides but at a higher rate that PERC panels. For this reason, bifacial panels are typically reserved for ground-mounted systems that leave both sides of the panels exposed.
Monocrystalline panels are mostly solid black but have some white space throughout. The black design makes them less noticeable on a rooftop. However, they are not as sleek as thin-film panels, which are completely black and lay flat on roofs.
Monocrystalline silicon solar cells are manufactured using the Czochralski method, in which a seed crystal of silicon is placed into a molten vat of pure silicon at a high temperature. That creates a single silicon crystal, or ingot, that then is divided into thinner wafers. Those wafers make up the solar panels.
Polycrystalline panels represent earlier solar panel technology and therefore can be more affordable than the newer monocrystalline variety. However, because the technology is older, polycrystalline panels are not as efficient as their more modern counterpart. They also do not hold up well under high temperatures, so are not recommended for use in hotter year-round climates.
Polycrystalline panels have a blue hue due to their manufacturing process. The blue color is actually somewhat marbled in appearance, so there are some variations in color and consistency from panel to panel. Homeowners concerned with creating a subtle solar panel system should opt for monocrystalline panels over polycrystalline varieties.
Polycrystalline panels are made of silicon solar cells, the same as monocrystalline panels. The difference is in the cooling process for polycrystalline panels, which creates multiple crystals rather than just one.
Polycrystalline panels used in home solar systems typically have 60 solar cells, which produces about 240 to 300 watts of power. The average residential solar panel, by comparison, contains 72 cells and generates 300 to 400 watts of electricity.
Due to their lower efficiency, thin-film solar cells are more often used in large industrial solar installations in which space is not a constraint. Conversely, thin-film panels can be a good option for smaller solar projects, such as in powering a boat, and smaller commercial buildings, like warehouses, with thin metal roofs.
Thin-film panels have the sleekest appearance among the three-panel types. Because they are completely black, flat, and flexible in shape and size, they blend easily onto a home’s rooftop and do not require the scaffolding construction that monocrystalline and polycrystalline panels often do.
However, thin-film panels are not efficient, so you would need many more—perhaps even enough to cover your entire rooftop—to generate power for a home. That could result in higher overall costs and increased instances of panel issues, failures, and overall degradation over time.
A thin layer of a photovoltaic substance such as Amorphous silicon or cadmium telluride is placed onto a solid surface, often glass, to create a thin-film panel. The choice of photovoltaic substance used in the manufacturing process will create different thin-film panels, including some that are highly flexible.