What types of Solar Panels are there?
Monday, January 31st, 2011Once you have ascertained what size solar panel system you would like, the next step is to work out what kind of solar panels will meet your needs. This should not be decided based solely on price, as power efficiency, lifetime, warranty, and the area needed are all important factors.
All too often people base a purchasing decision on cost alone, and then in two years wonder why no-one picks up the phone at the “fly-by-night company” they purchased their solar panels from when the inverter dies or its output is cut in half. It’s also very important to recognise that there are differing qualities of panels on the market and you should compare “apples with apples”.
There are three main types of panels: Monocrystalline, Polycrystalline, and thin-film or Amorphous, and you should know the advantages and disadvantages of all of them. If your only motivation for purchasing panels is price, then I suggest you compare “like with like”. It’s wrong to compare the price of Mono with the latest Amorphous panel and make your purchasing decision based only on price alone.
One very important distinction to make with regards to solar panels is the differing wattages available. Watts are related to the output of each panel, so a 200W panel would output 200 watts per hour. You should expect to pay double the cost of a 100W panel.
Warranties
Solar PV (photo-voltaic) panels come with a performance warranty that can last up to 25 years, and a guarantee of five to ten years. Also, your specialist can provide a warranty on workmanship, which will typically be five years. Ask your solar specialist who will be providing the warranty, the name of the importer and/or manufacturer, and what you should do if something goes wrong.
You should be aware that if a cheap solar panel importer stops trading sometime in the future, their warranty obligation ceases. You are likely to feel far more peace with a well-known brand which has service agents for warranty work in Australia.
The following describes the three main types of solar panels available, each with their own benefits:
Monocrystalline Cells
Monocrystalline panels are a proven and reliable technology, used for the past 50 years and still popular today. They have the best conversion efficiency at 12-18% of all sunlight. As these have the highest power to size ratio, they are 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, and even up to 50 years if cared for.
Disadvantages:
Monocrystalline cells don’t perform as well as other panels in shady conditions, and they are quite fragile. They can be more expensive to manufacture due to their complexity.
Polycrystalline Cells
Polycrystalline compares quite well in performance and longevity to monocrystalline, and provide efficiency of 12-13%. Well known brands include BP SX, Sharp and Kyocera.
Polycrystalline panels have great longevity (around 25 years). They work optimally at 25 degrees C and will lose some efficiency at higher temperatures (over 50 degrees C), which is common in our summer.
Amorphous Thin Film
Thin film panels typically have a lower efficiency at 6%, however, Cadmium Telluride Thin-Film panels (CdTe) have progressed to 11% efficiency. These are more suitable for inland Australian conditions where space is no problem and temperatures are hot. Amorphous panels don’t lose energy in higher heats.
Disadvantages are: 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 your solar panels remember to focus on the goal of recouping your set-up costs through savings in electricity. The more efficient and higher watt panels can do this faster. However, if you are looking at solar farms in Outback Australia where temperatures routinely go higher than 40 degrees celcius and there is a bit of cloud cover (these panels also work much better in the shade}, then these panels may be for you.
The Requirements of Solar Panels
With the various types of solar panels, the owner must ensure they are kept free from dirt and shade, because these factors have a bearing on solar power output.
Panels are placed facing north and at a roof angle of a minimum 10 degrees. Do the solar panels you’ve budgeted for actually fit into the space you want to place 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 the event you would like to add more panels later to cover more of your energy needs.
My Solar Price specialise in solar power, solar hot water, and solar pool heating quotes. For three free quotes you can visit My Solar Price.
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