One out of 600 homeowners installs solar panels every quarter. Homeowners know that they can raise the value of their homes and save on electric bills.
Living in Ohio doesn’t exclude you from the benefits of solar panels. You don’t have to live in Hawaii, Arizona, or another sunny location.
Solar panels work with direct or indirect sunlight. As long as you know which types of solar panels are best for your environment, you can benefit from a solar panel installation in Ohio.
Are you ready to find out the different types of solar panels and which ones you should consider for your solar panel installation?
Let’s get to it!
Thin-Film Solar Panels
Solar panels are made from different materials that let them turn sunlight into electric power. Thin-film solar panels are made from thin layers of photovoltaic materials laid on top of one another.
Thin-film solar panels don’t have the efficiency or power that other types of solar panels have.
The advantage of thin-film solar panels is that they tend to perform better in challenging light conditions. Shade, clouds, and partial sun coverage are no problem for thin-film solar panels.
Thin-film solar panels do tend to have fewer materials. They can have a lighter, more flexible profile than other solar panels.
Amorphous thin-film solar panels can survive hot and brutal environments. CdTe panels are made of cadmium. OSHA classifies cadmium as a toxic substance.
CIGS panels are made from copper. These are very efficient but expensive to produce.
Monocrystalline Solar Panels
These are the most common types of solar panels because they’re the most efficient and affordable. They’re made of silicon, which turns solar into power.
As the name suggests, monocrystalline panels have one type of silicon. The solar panels are typically black with black or silver frames.
These are commonly used in Ohio because they’re durable and efficient. Click to learn about solar panel installations in Ohio.
Polycrystalline Solar Panels
Polycrystalline solar panels have silicon crystals from different sources. These silicon crystals get melted down and molded into the solar panels.
They’re just as durable as monocrystalline solar panels and less expensive. However, they’re a little less effective than monocrystalline solar panels.
Bifacial Solar Panels
These are either monocrystalline or polycrystalline solar panels that can get sunlight from the front and back.
That allows these solar panels to have double the capacity and power as standard solar panels. They’re mostly used in commercial applications.
The conditions have to be just right to work in a residential application.
There Are Different Types of Solar Panels
The different types of solar panels have names based on their manufacturing processes and materials used.
There are monocrystalline, polycrystalline, bifacial, and thin-film solar panels. Each type of solar panel has its own range of efficiency and power standards.
Monocrystalline is the most common type of solar panel while thin-film might work best in challenging environments.
Now that you know more about solar panels, head over to the home page of this site for more home tips.