What types of Solar Panels are there?

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by: solarprice
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Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2011 Time: 3:30 AM
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Once you have ascertained what size solar panel system you want, the next step is to judge what kind of solar panels will meet your needs. This should not be a decision based solely on price, because power efficiency, longevity, warranty, and space needed are all important factors. Too often people base there purchasing decisions on price only and wonder why no-one picks up the phone from the "fly by night company" you bought your solar panles from when in 2 years your inverter dies or your output is cut in half. But its also inporttant to recognise that there are different qualities of panels on the market and you should compare "apples with apples". So although there are 3 main types of panels; Monocrystalline,Polycrystalline, and thin-film or Amorphous and its importtant to recognize the advantages and disadvantages of both. If your main hurdle for purchasing panels is price, then I suggest you compare "like with like" so its silly to compare the price of Mono with the latest Amorphous panel and make your purchasing decision from price alone.

One of the most important distinctions to make regarding 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. Expect to pay double the price of a 100W panel.

Warranties

Solar PV panels come with a performance warranty that may last up to 25 years and a guarantee of five to ten years. As well, installers can provide a warranty on workmanship, typically five years. So ask your solar retailer who is providing the warranty-the importer or the manufacturer-and what happens if something breaks. My Solar Price only deals with solar power companies that offer these warranties as standard, infact we actively seek out companies who offer better warranties.

If a cheap solar panel importer stops trading in future, their warranty obligation ceases. You'd probably feel more at ease with a well-known brand that has service agents for warranty work in Australia.

There are three main types of solar panel available, each with their own benefits.

Monocrystalline cells

Monocrystalline panels are 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've got limited roof space. They also degrade very slowly, generally losing 0.25 - 0.5% per year. Their lifespan can be 25 years, even up to 50 years if looked after.

Disadvantages: Monocrystalline cells don't perform as well as other panels in shady conditions and they are quite fragile. They are more expensive to manufacture due to their complexity.

Polycrystalline cells

Polycrystalline compares well in performance and longevity to monocrystalline, and provide efficiency of 12-13%. Well known brands include BP SX, Sharp and Kyocera.

Both crystalline panels have great longevity (around 25 years). Both work optimally at 25oC and will lose some efficiency at higher temperatures (over 50oC) - common in our summer.

Amorphous Thin Film

Thin film panels typically have a much lower efficiency at 6%, however,

Cadmium Telluride Thin-Film panels (CdTe) have progressed to 11% efficiency. These are more suitable for inland Australia conditions where space is no problem and temperatures are hot. Amorphous panels do not lose energy in higher heats.

Disadvantages are: expected lifespan is less, 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, remember to focus on the goal of recouping your initial costs through savings in electricity. The more efficient and higher Watt panels will do this faster. However, if you are looking at solar farms in Outback Australia where tempretures routinely get above 40 degrees celcius and there is a bit of cloud cover as these panels work much better in the shade also then these panels may be for you.



The Requirements of Solar Panels

With all types of solar panels, the owner must ensure they're kept free from dirt and shade, because these things impinge on solar power output.

Panels are installed facing north and at a roof angle of a minimum 10 degrees.

Do the solar panels you've budgeted for physically 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 installer will calculate it precisely when quoting. You may want to be conservative with the space, however, in case you want to add more panels later to cover more of your energy needs.

About the Author

This article was written by My Solar Price about the benefits of solar power brisbane. My Solar Price provides local solar power brisbane quotes for installation.