Solar panels generate electricity and are often referred to as photovoltaic or PV panels. Different makes and models of solar panels use different technologies such as monocrystalline, polycrystalline and thin film (amorphous). Each has their advantages and disadvantages but the factors to focus on when designing your solar system are space, sunlight and cost.

Do not use photovoltaic panels for heating or cooling systems because they are not efficient enough. You want to use solar collectors for heating hot water.

Our recommended supplier of Solar Panels is the altE Store, who offer a range of solar panels and accessories including:

1 to 50 Watt Solar Panels

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51 to 99 Watt Solar Panels

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100 to 149 Watts Solar Panels

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150 Watts & Up Solar Panels

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Flexible and Rollable Solar Panels

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Foldable Solar Panels

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Solar Panels by the Pallet

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Solar energy is becoming more popular as more and more people pay attention to where their energy is coming from.  In addition, advances in technology are allowing more efficient photovoltaic panels to be produced less expensively.  That makes it easy for almost any home to supplement their grid power sources of electricity with solar energy, provided they are installed in the right location.  Different solar panels use different technologies, polycrystalline solar systems are among the cheapest and most common type of panel out there.  Let’s take a look at some of their benefits and their downsides.

A polycrystalline solar panel module is made from a block of silicon that has multiple crystals.  These panels are square in shape, and may have a surface that looks somewhat like a mosaic.  That’s because of all the different crystals that make up the module.  Other types of panels may appear smooth and even, because they are made up of only silicon crystals.  These are called monocrystalline modules. The third type of panel uses a thin film layer of material otherwise known as amorphous.

Polycrystalline solar modules are less efficient than those made from a single crystal.  However, they are much simpler to produce, and cost far less to manufacture.  This makes them much less expensive for buyers.  The durability and longevity, however, are comparable to their monocrystalline cousins.  Polycrystalline solar panel modules could put solar power into the hands of people who could not afford the monocrystalline cells.

Common brands of panels made up of polycrystalline modules include BP SX (formerly Solarex), Kyocera, and Sharp.  Generally, these panels cost between eight and a half and ten dollars a watt, and have about a twelve to twelve and a half percent conversion efficiency.  That means twelve percent of the energy in the sunlight that strikes these panels is converted into electricity.  A square meter of panel exposed to full, direct sunlight will produce between one hundred twenty and one hundred twenty-five watts of power.

It should be remembered that standard ratings are not always indicative of the conditions in which you will be using your panels.  These panels assume relatively cool climates, and are rated on a standard of twenty-five degrees Celsius (about seventy-seven degrees Fahrenheit).  Panels operating at a higher temperature – fifty degrees Celsius or more – will be a lot less efficient. 

That may sound like a lot, but these are dark colored panels in direct sun.  The likelihood of them rising to those temperatures is greater than you think.  Expect the panels to lose somewhere between fourteen and twenty-three percent of their power converting capacity in these conditions.  It should be noted that these standards apply to all solar panels – not just the polycrystalline type.  Anyone working with a solar power system should take temperature into account when working out their costs and design.

Polycrystalline solar panels have pros and cons, but in the end, they can be an inexpensive way to put together a solar power generation system.  They are much less costly than monocrystalline panels and simpler, without having a long list of disadvantages.  See if they’re what your alternative energy system needs.