A mono solar panel is made with high quality silicon manufactured with intricate patterns across the surface making them easy to differentiate from poly solar panels.
Poly and mono solar panels.
Monocrystalline solar cells are more efficient because they are cut from a single source of silicon.
It is mainly used in large scale commercial applications.
The older of the two mono panels are the most developed type of photovoltaic panel cells.
Polycrystalline acts as a cheaper alternative to this.
See an example of monocrystalline cells below.
The polycrystalline silicon cells can convert 1000 w m 2 of solar radiation to 130w of electrical energy with a cell.
Polycrystalline solar cells are blended from multiple silicon sources and are slightly less efficient.
Polycrystalline solar panels are cheaper than monocrystalline panels.
Polycrystalline solar panels generally have lower efficiencies than monocrystalline options but their advantage is a lower price point.
In addition polycrystalline solar panels tend to have a blue hue instead of the black hue of monocrystalline panels.
Thin film technology costs less than mono or poly panels but is also less efficient.
This is primarily due to the fact that the four sides of each cell are cut resulting in large amounts of waste.
Monocrystalline cells are the most expensive option out of all the silicon solar cell types.
Key takeaways there are three main types of solar panels.
Monocrystalline solar panels are highly efficient and have a sleek design but come at a higher price point than other.
Monocrystalline polycrystalline and thin film.
Mono solar cell panels have a typical efficiency of around 15 at the 25 c mark which drops at 50 c by around 12 15.
Looking at mono vs poly solar panels you can see that mono crystalline panels have a smoother more uniform appearance than poly crystalline panels.