Types of Modules

The creation of solar panels typically involves cutting crystalline silicon into tiny disks less than a centimeter thick. These thin, wafer-like disks are then carefully polished and treated to repair and gloss any damage from the slicing process. After polishing, dopants (materials added to alter an electrical charge in a semiconductor or PV solar cell) and metal conductors are spread across each disk. The conductors are aligned in a thin, grid-like matrix on the top of the solar panel.

• Polycrystalline solar panels are 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 due to the different crystals that make up the module.
• Monocrystalline solar panels have been the “go-to” choice for many years, and are among the oldest, most efficient, and most dependable of technologies.  If you’ve ever seen black or iridescent blue panels, they were probably monocrystalline panels.  Each module is made from a single silicon crystal, and is more efficient than polycrystalline modules.
• Thin film technologies are complex. They have taken at least twenty years, supported in some cases by major corporations, to get from the stage of promising research - about 8% efficiency compared to 17-19% of monocrystalline panels.  They are typically a less expensive option to crystalline panels but require approximately double the installation space for equivalent system output.