solar photovoltaic panels, tiles and cells

Solar Photovoltaic Panels, Tiles and Cells

Solar photovoltaic panels or collectors are an assembly of Solar PV cell modules (the individual solar cells are linked together to form these modules). These solar cells are made up of semi-conductor materials (including Silicon).

Instead of PV panels, you could opt for solar tiles (an array of solar PV cell modules) that do the same job but are different in their assembly and appearance i.e. these solar tiles resemble the conventional tiles that are used for construction. Transparent PV solar cells are available too, if you fancy those.

There are three types of Solar Photovoltaic cells:

Monocrystalline Solar PV cells: This type of solar photovoltaic cells are made by cutting thin slices of a single silicon crystal. The monocrystalline solar photovoltaics are known to be most efficient (being able to convert a larger percentage of solar light into electricity) among all types of solar photovoltaic cells; but monocrystalling solar PVs are also priced higher than the other types of solar photovoltaics.
Polycrystalline Solar PV cells: Again, these are made using thin slices from a block of silicon crystals (and hence the name polycrystalline). These are less efficient than the monocrystalline solar photovoltaics.
Thin Film Technology: Here, the solar PV cells are made by depositing a thin layer of photosensitive semiconductor material on a sheet of glass, metal or plastic material. There are various types of Solar Photovoltaic cells that are mass-made using this technology and hence this type of Solar PV cells is cheaper too. However, these are the least efficient type of solar cells.

The solar photovoltaic systems carry a peak power rating (in KWp or kilowatt peak) which is defined as the amount of power produced by the solar photovoltaic under 1 KW on 1 square metre of light (under defined conditions). This rating determines the efficiency of the solar panels and is used to calculate the size of the array needed to produce the required amount of electricity.

Besides the intensity of light, the quality of photovoltaic solar panels is important factor in determining the amount of electricity that is produced. So, you should buy the PV solar panels only from a certified manufacturer.