Polycrystalline Solar Panels

Polycrystalline Solar Panels

 The poly panels are the next step up from amorphous panels in terms of efficiency, you can get a bit more watt for size, so you don't have to give up as much real estate to catchin rays.

   
  They are however a little pricier than their less efficient kin, but due to the manufacturing process utilized in their construction. They are still a good, lower cost alternative to fill your, first solar, need for power. 

  Polycrystalline cells are typically cast from a molten silicone solution to create a many crystal type of structure, hence the term Polycrystalline. The panel shown here is 12.7% efficient as apposed to the amorphous type that has an efficiency rating somewhere around 6-8 %. 

  Pound for pound though you will get a lot more bang for your buck with this kind of panel overall. Manufacturing costs are so much lower than the more efficient Mono-crystalline panels, and there have been advances in the efficiency of the poly type to make them a real competitor. If you have a little more to spend this would make a good first solar panel.

  Pros
   Polycrystalline panels are more efficient than thin film solar panels               (amorphous)
 
  Polycrystalline panels take up less room than thin film panels to collect the same wattage


  Polycrystalline panels are less costly to manufacture than mono panels so the consumer pays less overall per watt


 Cons
   Polycrystalline panels are heavier than amorphous and delicate to handle due to their cast construction
  
   Polycrystalline panels suffer greater losses from shadowing on part of the collection surface


  

   This kind of panel is the most popular in use as of now, due to the low watt to dollar ratio. This is certainly the way to go for a first solar system if you have a place to mount them that is rigid and out of the shade. Perfect for the roof of a house or in a field without any overshadowing structure.
  

 

What is Amorphous , Pros & Cons

The Pros

* Amorphous solar panels are produced by depositing a thin layer of silicon onto a base material in the form of a vapor. Base materials can be any number of things including glass, or flexible plastic.

* Amorphous cells also typically produce more power on cloudy days than some other technologies available today.

 * Amorphous cells are much lower in initial cost do to a less expensive manufacture process.

  * Amorphous panels suffer lower losses due to shadow casting across the surface of the panel and can produce closer to their rated output in these circumstances.

* Amorphous panels are less prone to failure due to damage because of the nature of the construction.

The Cons

* Amorphous panels have lower peak efficiencies than their higher priced cousins.

* Amorphous panels require more space per watt than other panels

* Amorphous panels can suffer permanent production losses due to exposure to extremely bright light

   I didn't want to get too technical here, I just gave you a general overview of some of the known properties of amorphous panels to help you figure things out. There is tons of information out there if you want to go check it out for yourself (which I strongly encourage). I personally have amorphous panels on my sailboat for our power needs for a few reasons.

First - the low initial cost is obvious.

Second- on a boat especially a sailboat I always have shadows bouncing about willy nillie and mono or poly panels would suffer more losses for it.

Third- I like the idea that I can crack a panel and it will keep producing power with whatever portion is still intact, (good to have on a boat, I have even heard of some people cutting off an end to fit in an odd spot, but I think this kind of abuse is frowned upon by the warranty people; )

  I am not too worried about the loss due to bright light exposure for the simple reason I never really have a good angle on the sun. If I do its not for very long before the wind gives me another little push.

  This may not be the panel setup for everyone but I do think its a good one to learn the basic principles of solar production, it's forgiving technology and it's inexpensive in case of the accidents that often befall a maiden voyage in unfamiliar waters. Last of all, it is nice to get everything as a "set" to avoid all the headache of figuring out all the capacities of all the individual components till you get a feel for things.

 Flip...