What are Polysilicon solar panels and why are they best?
In 1981, the first polycrystalline silicon solar panels were offered to the market. These panels are blue in color and occasionally include a varied design.
Polycrystalline (sometimes referred to as Multicrystalline) solar panels are the most common due to their low cost. They are the market’s middle option… nearly as efficient as single-cell monocrystalline silicon panels but generally more efficient than thin-film solar panels.
Polycrystalline or Multicrystalline solar panels are photovoltaic (PV) cells that contain several silicon crystals. The wafers of polycrystalline solar panels are formed by melting together many silicon shards. When polycrystalline solar cells are employed, the vat of molten silicon used to manufacture them is allowed to cool on the panel itself. These solar panels have a mosaic-like surface. They are square in shape and have a brilliant blue color due to their composition of much polycrystalline silicon. Because each cell contains several silicon crystals, polycrystalline panels allow for minimal electron mobility within the cells. These solar panels harness the sun’s energy and convert it to power.
Features of Polycrystalline Solar Panels
- Polycrystalline solar panels are more environmentally friendly than monocrystalline solar panels because they do not require individual crystal shaping and positioning and make use of the majority of silicon during production. As a result, relatively little waste is generated.
- They come with their own structural frame, which simplifies and reduces the cost of installation.
- Solar panels made of polycrystalline silicon have a lower heat tolerance than monocrystalline silicon solar panels. As a result, these solar panels perform less efficiently at higher temperatures than others.
- Solar panels made on polycrystalline silicon have a greater temperature coefficient than monocrystalline silicon panels.
- These panels pack a punch in terms of power density.
Efficiency
Polycrystalline panels are around 70% to 80% more efficient than equivalent monocrystalline solar panels. Mitsubishi Electric Corporation manufactures the most efficient polycrystalline panels. Mitsubishi set two world records for photoelectric conversion efficiency in polycrystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) cells in February 2010 by lowering the cells’ resistive loss. The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Japan confirmed the conversion efficiency rates.
Another world record, which Mitsubishi Electric has now renewed for the third consecutive year, is a 19.3-percent efficiency rating for photoelectric conversion of a practical-sized polycrystalline silicon photovoltaic cell of 100 square centimeters or larger, with the photovoltaic cell measuring approximately 15cm x 15cm x 200 micrometers. The rating is 0.2 points better than the previous record of 19.1 percent held by the company.
The company’s second world record, obtained using the same technology in an ultra-thin polycrystalline silicon photovoltaic cell measuring around 15cm x 15cm x 100 micrometers, is 18.1 percent efficiency, a 0.7-point improvement over the previous record of 17.4 percent.
The solar industry is currently investing heavily in research and development to reduce production costs and raise the overall efficiency of solar modules. As demonstrated by Mitsubishi’s work, these gains are primarily gradual in nature and focus on production rather than efficiency.