A Compilation Of Materials And Models Found In Units Which Provide Solar Panel Efficiency

by Nathan Thompson

An alternative to conventional power is the act of harnessing power from the sun using special equipment. This equipment offers varying degrees of solar panel efficiency depending on the types of materials used during construction. Existing models offer a rating of 6 percent to 13 percent and newer designs are offering a 20.4 percent rating.

Crystalline designs are more expensive to manufacture because the cost of materials which are required. This type of design makes use of silicon crystals to provide a higher rating than thin film models. Three crystalline types include mono-crystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon, and ribbon silicon, the average rating for this type of design ranges from 11-13 percent.

A mono-crystalline design is quite expensive to manufacture making it not as popular as other designs. Because the piece is cut from a cylindrical shape of material, it does not stretch to cover the entire surface area. In order to fill the gaps additional materials must be used, this adds to manufacturing cost so most units do not have the gaps filled.

Poly-crystalline silicon is cast from large blocks of silicon material which is cooled and left to solidify. This process is less expensive to manufacture but offers lower rating percentages than other types because the material is very dense. Even though the rating is lower, this model is the most popular model purchased out all crystalline models.

Ribbon silicon designs use molten silicon to create ribbons of material, which are then applied directly to the conductive frame. Since this method uses heated up silicon to create the models, it generates less silicon waste than other models. This not only makes it cheaper to manufacture, it is also a cleaner process and can be performed quicker.

A design that is overall less expensive than any of the crystalline models is the thin film design. The process used to create these types of models does not utilize crystalline in any of the designs. Due to the lack of crystalline, this model is not as efficient as other models. With that said the model is still quite popular because of the initial cost involved.

As technology advances in the field of solar panel efficiency, the overall savings also increase. The proof of this lies within the fact that the newer designs are showing to be up to 20.4 percent efficient, this is up from the thin film models that boast a rating of 6 percent. The advancements being currently made and future breakthroughs will make this type of power source a viable alternative to electricity in the future.


Learn more about materials and designs which ensure solar panels efficiency now in our guide to all you need to know about Solar Systems USA.