Call it a graceful addition or a mandatory one, having a solar panel for home is getting urgent day by day – pollution and electricity rates are more extended than Pinocchio’s nose, and they won’t stop growing either.
Installing a solar system brings the good news of not having to pay for electricity bills (or the prices come down by at least 90%). Besides, a 1 KW system does the goodness of 15 trees. Imagine if you install a 5 KW system, it means you’re detoxifying the Earth as much as 75 trees will.
Since these benefits are tempting enough, you might be considering having a solar panel for home right away. But it would be best if you still had more information regarding the different types of solar panels available, the difference between them, and, most importantly, which ones to choose.
This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about solar panels. Grab that coffee and dive right into the article without further preamble.
Types of solar panels for home
Two solar panels are the most popular in India for residential rooftop installations. They are polycrystalline solar panels and monocrystalline solar panels. Although there are two other panel types – thin-film and bifacial – they have certain limitations that make them the least favorable.
Thin-film solar panels, for instance, have a very low-efficiency rate, and bifacial panels are too expensive. Their efficiency does not justify their cost.
Hence, we will discuss the polycrystalline and monocrystalline panels in the coming sections, starting with poly panels.
#1. Polycrystalline solar panels
Currently, the poly panel is the leading solar panel for home in India. All solar cells used to make this panel are made of many fragments from one silicon ingot. Hence, it’s also known as a multi-crystalline solar panel.
Since the process of making these panels is easier and less silicon is wasted, they’re more affordable.
#2. Monocrystalline solar panels
A monocrystalline solar panel is the future face of the solar industry for residential and commercial installations. Every individual solar cell in a monocrystalline solar panel requires a different silicon ingot. It means one silicon ingot per cell; hence the name monocrystalline.
The reason that it is still less popular than poly panels is that it’s more expensive.
Polycrystalline vs Monocrystalline: Which one is a better solar panel for home?
We will walk you through the ways to identify which of the two types will be more beneficial for you. But before that, we will give you a walkthrough of the differences between the two.
#1. Color and extraction
Polycrystalline solar panels are blue and square-shaped. Monocrystalline solar panels, on the other hand, are black and octagonal-shaped. The color and shape differences are attributed to how they are extracted and manufactured.
#2. Heat tolerance/ temperature coefficient
The heat tolerance of polycrystalline solar panels is less than that of monocrystalline panels. It means that poly panels degrade faster when exposed to sunlight than mono panels.
The degradation rate of poly solar panels is 0.7% per year, and it’s 0.5% for mono panels per year. Needless to say, the temperature coefficient of mono panels is less than that of poly panels.
Also, monocrystalline solar panels perform better than poly panels during the rainy season because they produce more power with the same amount of sunlight that a poly panel of the same capacity will.
#3. Efficiency and cost
Monocrystalline solar panels have an efficiency rate of 19% to 20%. The same in the case of polycrystalline solar panels is between 16% to 17%. It indicates that the former is more efficient than the latter, producing more power.
As a result of having higher efficiency, monocrystalline solar panels are also more expensive than poly panels.
The higher cost is one reason that makes mono panels a less popular choice for a solar panel for home. The current installation rate in India is 90% poly and 10% mono.
As a result of different manufacturing processes, the space these panels consume also differs. For instance, mono panels are less space-consuming. Here’s why: you will probably need 2 mono panels to produce the same amount of electricity that 3 or 4 poly panels will make.
#4. Lifespan
You might expect a significant difference between the life of mono and poly panels; however, that is not the case. The tier-1 panels (mono and poly) that reliable brands make have a life of at least 25 years.
But it does not mean the panels will stop producing electricity after 25 years. We already mentioned that the efficiency of solar panels reduces by a certain percentage annually. Hence, the panels will work even after 25 years but with lower efficiency.
We’d also like to bust another myth here. Although the efficiency of solar panels does reduce slightly, the electricity cost from fossil fuels rises at the rate of 3-4% annually. It means that despite degrading slightly, solar panels are still much more beneficial than purchasing electricity from fossil fuels.
The efficiency, even after 25 years, will range between 70-80%.
Now that you know the differences between the two, you might feel that a mono panel is a better choice than a poly solar panel for home. But, it’s again not true. What’s more important is to determine which of the two is better for you. Let us help you with the decision.
Which type of solar panel for home should you choose?
You should choose a polycrystalline solar panel if:
- Your rooftop has enough shadow-free space
- Your city/ state gets a lot of sunshine
- Your city/ state sees shorter spells of the rainy season
You should choose a monocrystalline solar panel for home if:
- Your rooftop is smaller and clouded by a lot of shadows
- Your city/ state sees longer spells of monsoon
Conclusion:
Never choose a solar panel for home precariously. Consider every factor we’ve shed light on, and also take the help of the vendors you pick. When you install the right panels, solar will meet all your power requirements.
