The monocrystalline solar panels are also known as the single crystal panels. They are made from pure silicon crystal which is sliced into several wafers forming cells. These wafers are cut to an octagonal shaped wafer because of which they get their unique look and uniform colour. They can be easily identified by their black or dark blue colour, as they are made from pure silicon.
The polycrystalline solar panels are composed of multiple silicon crystals. They are made from silicon fragments that are melted and poured into square molds. Once these crystals are cooled, they are sliced into thin wafers and assembled together to form a polycrystalline solar panel. They are also known as “multi-crystalline” panels.
PERC solar panels are manufactured using advanced technology. It is done by adding a layer on the back of solar cells. The traditional solar panels absorb sunlight only to some extent and some light passes straight through them. The additional layer in the PERC panels allows this unabsorbed sunlight to be absorbed again from the rear side of the panels, making it even more efficient.
Unlike monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar panels, thin-film solar panels are manufactured using photovoltaic substances which include Amorphous silicon (a-Si), copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) and cadmium telluride (CdTe). These substances are deposited onto a solid surface such as glass, metal or plastic making it lighter and easy to install.