Polycrystalline solar panels generally have lower efficiencies than monocrystalline options but their advantage is a lower price point.
Solar monocrystalline vs polycrystalline.
Polycrystalline solar panels are also made from silicon.
The efficiency of polycrystalline solar panels is somewhat lower but the benefit for customers is that this option is more affordable.
In addition when you seek polycrystalline solar panels for sale the sellers may highlight the blue hue of these panels compared to the monocrystalline panels black hue.
In other words you would need less monocrystalline solar panels in your solar power system to generate the same amount of power that say a greater number of polycrystalline solar panels would.
Polycrystalline solar cells are blended from multiple silicon sources and are slightly less efficient.
However there are certain differences that relate to the types of technology used for the manufacturing of these panels.
Monocrystalline solar cells are more efficient because they are cut from a single source of silicon.
The monocrystalline panels typically have an efficiency of between 18 22 while polycrystalline panels achieve between 15 17 efficiency.
In recent years polycrystalline silicon solar panels have surpassed monocrystalline to become the highest selling type of solar panel for residential projects.
In addition polycrystalline solar panels tend to have a blue hue instead of the black hue of monocrystalline panels.
So monocrystalline solar panels will usually have a higher power output rating than either polycrystalline or thin film modules.
Thin film technology costs less than mono or poly panels but is also less efficient.