What types of Solar Panels are there?
Once you have decided what size solar panel system you want, the next stage is to judge what type of solar panels will meet your needs. This shouldn’t be decided based only on price, because power efficiency, lifetime, warranty, and the area needed are all important factors.
Too often people base purchasing decisions on price alone, and then in two years wonder why no-one answers the phone at the “fly-by-night company” they bought their solar panels from when the inverter dies or the output is reduced by half. It’s also quite important to recognise that there are different qualities of panels on the market and you should compare “apples with apples”.
There are 3 main types of panels: Monocrystalline, Polycrystalline, and thin-film or Amorphous, and you should learn to know the advantages and disadvantages of them all. If your only motivation when purchasing panels is price, then I suggest you compare “like with like”. It’s wrong to compare the price of Mono with the latest Amorphous panel and make your purchasing decision based only on the price alone.
One of the most important distinctions to make with regards to solar panels is the different wattages available. Watts are related to the output of each panel, so a 200W panel would output 200 watts per hour. You should expect to pay double the price of a 100W panel.
Warranties
Solar PV (photo-voltaic) panels come with a performance warranty that can last up to 25 years, and a guarantee of five to ten years. Also, installers can provide a warranty on workmanship, which will typically be five years. Ask your solar retailer who will be providing the warranty, the name of the importer and/or manufacturer, and what to expect if something breaks.
If a cheap solar panel importer stops trading in the future, their warranty obligation ceases. You will feel far more peace with a well-known brand that has service agents for warranty work in Australia.
The following describes the three main types of solar panels available, each with their own benefits:
Monocrystalline Cells
Monocrystalline panels are a proven and reliable technology, used over the past 50 years and still popular today. They have the best conversion efficiency at 12-18% of all sunlight. Because these have the highest power to size ratio, they’re the best option if you have limited roof space. They also degrade very slowly, generally losing 0.25 – 0.5% per year. Their lifespan can be 25 years, and even up to 50 years if cared for.
Disadvantages:
Monocrystalline cells don’t perform as well as other panels in shady conditions, and they are fairly fragile. They are more expensive to manufacture due to their complexity.
Polycrystalline Cells
Polycrystalline compares quite well in performance and longevity to monocrystalline, and provide efficiency of 12-13%. Well known brands include BP SX, Sharp and Kyocera.
Polycrystalline panels have excellent longevity (around 25 years). They work optimally at 25 degrees C and will lose some efficiency at higher temperatures (over 50 degrees C), which is common in our summer.
Amorphous Thin Film
Thin film panels typically have a lower efficiency at 6%, however, Cadmium Telluride Thin-Film panels (CdTe) have progressed to 11% efficiency. These are more suitable for inland Australian conditions where space is no problem and temperatures are hot. Amorphous panels don’t lose energy in higher heats.
Disadvantages are: Lifespan is reduced; there is a 3-6 month breaking-in period; and they typically require 2-3 times the roof space for the same output of crystalline cells.
When choosing solar panels remember to focus on the goal of recouping your initial costs through savings in electricity. The more efficient and higher watt panels can achieve this faster. However, if you are looking at solar farms in Outback Australia where temperatures routinely go higher than 40 degrees celcius and there is some cloud cover (these panels also work much better in the shade}, then these panels may well be suitable.
The Requirements of Solar Panels
With the various types of solar panels, the owner must ensure they are kept free from dirt and shade, because these things affect solar power output.
Panels are placed facing north and at a roof angle of a minimum 10 degrees. Do the solar panels you want actually fit in the space you want to install them? Each solar panel is about 1.6 m long by 0.8 m wide. A 1.5kW solar panel system requires around 12 m² of north-facing roof space. As mentioned, this footprint varies depending on the type of panel. Don’t worry if you can’t work out the amount of unshaded space the roof has for your panels, because your specialist will calculate it precisely when quoting. You may want to be conservative with the space, though, in the event you would like to add more panels later to cover more of your energy needs.
My Solar Price specialise in solar power, solar hot water, and solar pool heating quotes. For three free quotes you can visit My Solar Price.
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