Monocrystalline Solar Panels

By: Jose Lorenzo D. Masa

[This is the first blog post of our three-part series on Types of Solar PV Panels]

All solar panels consist of silicon solar cells. What makes each solar panel different from the others is the type of silicon they use. A monocrystalline or single-crystal solid has a composition that is made up of a single crystal of silicon. Since the cell is comprised of a single crystal, it is uniform throughout the entire panel, giving it higher efficiency than other solar panels.

Aside from material compositions, the performance of solar PV panels is significantly affected by different factors, such as dust and temperature.

During warm weather, monocrystalline solar panels can deliver higher efficiency due to their higher temperature coefficient, which means higher heat tolerance than other solar panels. Though there is a decrease in the efficiency of monocrystalline PVs, the decrease is sharper for other solar panel types, which means that monocrystalline PVs are more robust against environmental variations such as temperature and humidity.

Monocrystalline solar panels, based on some experts, have been known to break down if dust or snow accumulation takes place on their surface. At the same time, the power degradation in monocrystalline PVs (20%) is higher than the other solar PV panels.

References:

Kazem, H. A., Chaichan, M. T., & Al-Waeli, A. H. A. (2022). A comparison of dust impacts on polycrystalline and monocrystalline solar photovoltaic performance: An outdoor experimental study. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-21958-5

Monocrystalline vs Polycrystalline: Pros and Cons | Linquip. (n.d.). Retrieved November 4, 2022, from https://www.linquip.com/blog/monocrystalline-vs-polycrystalline/

Monocrystalline vs Polycrystalline Solar Panels. (n.d.). Solar Magazine. Retrieved November 4, 2022, from https://solarmagazine.com/solar-panels/monocrystalline-vs-polycrystalline-solar-panels/

Touati, F. A., Al-Hitmi, M. A., & Bouchech, H. J. (2013). Study of the Effects of Dust, Relative Humidity, and Temperature on Solar PV Performance in Doha: Comparison Between Monocrystalline and Amorphous PVS. International Journal of Green Energy, 10(7), 680–689. https://doi.org/10.1080/15435075.2012.692134

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