Get an Idea of the Benefits of Polycrystalline Solar Panels

If you’re looking to make the switch to renewable solar energy, then you’ve probably already started looking at some solar systems and noticed that there is a great variety available for almost every part of the solar system. What most people get confused by and spend a lot of time thinking about is the type of solar panels that would be ideal for their home. You’ve probably come across polycrystalline solar panels at some point during your search, and wondered why they’re the most commonly used ones.

Well, there are actually many reasons why they’re the most commonly used ones in Australia, but before we get into that, let’s first talk about how polycrystalline panels are made. Both monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar panels start off as silicon crystal “seeds”. However, unlike monocrystalline panels where each and every cell is pulled out from the vat of molten silicon, polycrystalline panels are made by allowing the vat of molten silicon to cool off. Once they cool off, you get a flat sheet of cells that absorb solar energy, which are square instead of round.

With that said, let’s get into the advantages of polycrystalline panels. First and foremost, they’re more affordable than monocrystalline panels, which is why they attract more people initially. This is mainly due to the manufacturing process, which is less labor-intensive. While monocrystalline cells have to be pulled from the silicon vat individually and placed precisely on the panel, polycrystalline ones are just cooled off in one silicon sheet.

Furthermore, their simple manufacturing process also means that there’s less waste created. In fact, most of the molten silicon is used when manufacturing polycrystalline cells, whereas there’s a lot of wasted molten silicon that gets thrown away when manufacturing monocrystalline cells. This makes polycrystalline cells even more environmentally friendly and more widely available, which means there’s more competition on the market, which drives their prices down even more.

And lastly, polycrystalline panels are less tolerant to heat than monocrystalline solar panels. This means that as the heat increases, their output is reduced less than the output of other solar panels. This is mainly due to the fact that polycrystalline ones have a higher temperature coefficient than panels that are made with a single cell.

With all of that being said, going solar will definitely help you get lower electric bills, regardless of which solar panels you end up choosing. This way you’re also lowering your carbon footprint, which is of huge environmental importance, and you become self-reliable for your energetic needs!