Polycrystalline solar panel cells

What is a polycrystalline solar cell?

Polycrystalline solar cells are also called "multi-crystalline" or many-crystal silicon. Polycrystalline solar panels generally have lower efficiencies than monocrystalline cell options because there are many more crystals in each cell, meaning less freedom for the electrons to move.

How are polycrystalline solar panels made?

Multicrystalline Cell Structure: Polycrystalline solar panels use multicrystalline solar cells, which are made by melting together multiple silicon fragments. The advantage of this cell structure is that the manufacturing process is cheaper and more efficient.

How do polycrystalline solar panels work?

Polycrystalline solar panels work by using multicrystalline silicon cells to absorb sunlight and convert it into electricity. This is a result of the photovoltaic effect, where electrons within the cells of the panel are knocked loose as a direct result of contact with sunlight.

What does a polycrystalline solar panel look like?

In the case of polycrystalline solar cells, the vat of molten silicon used to produce the cells is allowed to cool on the panel itself. These solar panels have a surface that looks like a mosaic. They have a square shape and a shining blue hue as they are made up of several polycrystalline silicon.