Electrolux - Solar Energy

Cell Technology

There are several technologies used to make solar cells, the building blocks of panels. The main types currently on the market are:

• Monocrystalline Solar Panels
  • Monocrystalline solar panels are often the most expensive due to the manufacturing process, which uses large amounts of highly purified silicon and a great deal of energy. Monocrystalline solar cells are about 13-16% efficient at converting sunlight to electricity.
• Polycrystalline Solar Panels (aka multicrystalline)
  • Polycrystalline cell efficiencies range between 11-14% so polycrystaline solar panels are slightly less expensive than monocrystalline ones on a price-per-Watt basis.
• String Ribbon Solar Panels
  • String ribbon solar panels use less silicon in the cell manufacturing process than the other crystalline types and achieves efficiencies in the 12-14% range.
• Amorphous Solar Panels (aka thin-film)
  • Amorphous solar panels, or thin-film amorphous silicon, A-si, are not constructed from individual cells, but are made by depositing a photo-sensitive compound onto a substrate. While these solar panels have lower efficiencies, (usually 7-10%), they offer certain advantages. They can often be used in hotter climates since they suffer less power loss than other types under hot conditions. Additionally, the amorphous technology does not use the typical “glass sandwich” construction, allowing for the creation of flexible solar panels which are also very durable.
• CIGS Solar Panels
  • The CIGS technology, or Copper Indium Gallium di-Selenide, uses no silicon at all, and can be made into panels with or without discrete cells.

There are also hybrid solar panels which use both crystalline and thin-film technologies to increase energy capture; these modules boast efficiencies up to 19%. Researchers are still working on lower-cost, higher-efficiency alternatives, but for the foreseeable future, these five types represent what is commercially available.