Solar Energy uses solar cells to produce clean renewable energy, these cells are sometimes called photovoltaic cells which derives from the type of solar energy it produces called Photovoltaic solar energy and it is the most used type of solar energy around the globe. Unlike fuel or Battery cells, Solar cells are more eco-friendly because it does not use chemical reactions or require fuel to provide electric power, and unlike electric generators that produce noise and carbon pollution, Solar cells are a hundred percent silent and clean. The main component of a solar panel is made out of silicon which has about 95% of all modern modules sold today as solar panel technology improves over the years a range of innovative solar panels are now introduced to the market. These are the three types of solar silicon cells available in the market: monocrystalline, polycrystalline, and thin-film.

Monocrystalline Solar Cell

A monocrystalline solar cell is a solar cell made out of monocrystalline silicon which is black and uniform in appearance. This type of cell usually has high efficiency and capacity when it comes to producing power compared to other types of solar cells. The higher efficiency means it would need less space to achieve the given power capacity. This makes the monocrystalline solar cells more ideal for people with small roof space. It is also economical since each solar panel can last up to 30 years.

Monocrystalline solar cells are manufactured by placing a pure silicon crystal into a high-temperature environment this forms a single silicon crystal that is called an ingot that is divided into silicon wafers which are placed in the solar modules. There are several types of monocrystalline available in the market but the two emerging ones are PERC and Bifacial solar panels

PERC

PERC short for Passive Emitter Rear Cell was first developed in Australia by Martin Green in 1983. Since its development, it has powered more than 91% of all solar panels globally. Rea Solar also uses this form of panels because it is the most efficient among all types of silicon cells available on the market with a 5-6% more efficiency compared to Monocrystalline solar cells. PERC features an additional layer to allow sunlight to enter and capture more sunlight to convert into electricity. This makes the solar panel efficient and low-cost.

Rea Solar has modified the standard version of PERC solar technology by cutting it into a smaller piece and then fusing it back together with a patented fusion technology to make a flexible solar sheet that provides a bigger surface area to gather renewable solar energy that eliminates the amount of inactive space in the panels. This specific feature allows REA solar to make more power with fewer solar panels.

Bifacial solar panels

Bifacial Solar Panel is a type of monocrystalline that is getting more attention each day due to its unique build and efficiency it can generate power from both the front and back sides of each module. This enables the sunlight that reflects on the ground to be absorbed by the back panel because bifacial panels have a bigger surface area to absorb sunlight, they are more efficient than traditional panels especially when you will install them vertically, and they can capture energy during both sunrise and sunset during the peak times of the day and during winter, snow will not cover the panels making it efficient. The best application for this panel is ground-mounted systems since it would not be practical to use them on a roof-mounted system.

Polycrystalline Solar Cell

Polycrystalline Solar Cells or sometimes called multicrystalline panels are made up of several silicon crystals that are melted together to form the solar panel which is blue in appearance. The easier manufacturing process of polycrystalline solar panels makes them cheaper compared to monocrystalline solar cells but when it comes to power efficiency it is known to be less efficient with an average of 14-15% energy production which is in the mid-range if you will compare it to both monocrystalline and thin-film that has the lowest efficiency among the 3 types of solar panels.

Polycrystalline also has a shorter lifespan with an average of around 25 years and uses a wider area of roofing needed compared to monocrystalline. Some people would think that by using polycrystalline solar cells they would be saving up due to the cheap prices of the solar panel but in reality, you would need more solar panels to produce the same amount of energy you will have when you use monocrystalline solar panels.

Thin-film Solar Cell

Thin film solar cells are known to be the thinnest among the 3 types of solar panels and are composed of micro-thick absorbing material over a flexible panel also it is the cheapest to manufacture due to its wide range of options for material used to make the panels that resulted to lower prices for thin film solar cells. Its first known application was in solar calculators during the 1970s and researchers in the United States spearheaded the development of thin film solar cells. It is the most promising option for reducing the cost of the photovoltaic system but on the other hand, produces the lowest efficiency rating among available panels in the market with an average of 7-10% only.

Like other solar panels, the advancement of technology provided thin film solar cells with different types of films and are now available in large modules that can be used in many sophisticated ways. There are three types of thin film solar cells which are amorphous thin-film, Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) thin-film and Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS) thin-film.

Amorphous (A-Si)

This type of thin film is made of amorphous silicon which is abundant and non-toxic. It is the first type of thin film to be invented and made from none crystalline silicon making it cheaper compared to crystalline base silicon materials.

Cadmium Telluride (CdTe)

Cadmium telluride is the second most used type of cell in the world following crystalline base cells. It is also effective in capturing sunlight and converting it to energy. The downside of it is the toxicity effect of cadmium which is known to be one of the world’s most toxic materials. Telluride on the other hand is a rare material that is hard to mass produce.

Copper Indium Gallium Selenide ( CIGS)

CIGS is the last type of thin film available in the market and it is known to be the most expensive option for thin film cells since it is composed of copper, indium, gallium, and selenide which are compacted in a layer. It has also a high efficiency to produce power.