New Energy Solutions
What Are Monocrystalline Solar Panels?
If you’re in the market for solar it’s likely you’ve heard the term monocrystalline solar panels or PV modules thrown around, you may be thinking what on earth does that mean?? It can be difficult to make an informed decision with these complicated words and concepts, well we’re here to help!
Key Takeaways:
What They Are: Monocrystalline solar panels, or "Mono" panels, are made from solar cells that consist of a single silicon crystal, which boosts their efficiency and performance.
How to Spot Them: These panels can be identified by their distinct "chopped-off" or rounded corners, a result of how the silicon ingots are cut into cells.
Manufacturing Process: The panels go through several steps like texturing, diffusing, and coating to enhance light absorption, followed by the printing of metal conductors to collect electricity.
Efficiency & Lifespan: After assembly, monocrystalline panels typically have 15-20% efficiency and can last around 30 years, making them a durable and efficient solar option.
What are Monocrystalline Solar Panels?
Monocrystalline solar panels, often referred to as ‘Mono’ solar panels are a type of panel, the ‘mono’ component of the word refers to the way in which they are made and ‘crystalline’ refers to the silicon crystals that make up a solar cell. In a mono solar panel the solar cells are made up of monocrystalline solar cells - meaning each solar cell is made up of a singular silicon crystal. This can be beneficial to the performance and output the PV module is able to produce.
How to Identify Mono Panels:
The easiest way to tell if a module is monocrystalline is by looking at the individual solar cells, a monocrystalline solar cell will have its corners ‘chopped off’ or rounded. This is due to the way in which each solar cell is cut. These cells are made from a singular piece of silicon hence why the corners are not square. This may still sound confusing but don’t worry, we’ll dive into the solar cell cutting process next.
How are Monocrystalline Solar Panels Made?
Monocrystalline solar cells are cut from individual ingots of silicon, this gives them their rounded corners.
Each ingot is of a cylindrical shape, wire saws are then used to cut these into the shape that you see on your panels. As these ingots are cylindrical, cutting them completely square would waste too much of the silicon, creating too many offcuts to be feasible. After they have been cut into their semi-square shape they are then sliced to create thin wafers, like the ones you see on a solar panel.
Steps for Solar Cell Manufacturing:
Before these solar cells can generate aunty electricity they have to undergo an extensive treatment process:
Texturing:
These thin silicon wafers are etched with a range of chemicals to remove a small layer of silicon on their surface, this almost roughs up the surface in a sense, creating an irregular pattern and as such more surface area for light absorption.
Diffusing:
The surface of the solar cell is then diffused with phosphorus, this is done to give the front facing surface of the cell a NEGATIVE charge while the back surface will have a POSITIVE charge.
Coating the Cell:
The solar cell is then coated with silicon nitride, this reduces the reflective properties allowing more light to be absorbed.
Printing:
You may have noticed the thin lines on solar panels, these are metal conductors which collect the electricity generated, after the other processing steps have been completed these conductors are printed onto the face of the cell.
Put All of This Together & You Have a Solar Panel!
After the solar cells have been processed they are laid out to form sort of ‘ribbons’, these ribbons are usually made up of around 10 solar cells. The dimensions of a solar panel are usually 6 x 10 solar cells for a total of 60 cells.
After the cells have been laid out in place they are then laminated between a layer of anti-reflective tempered glass and a plastic backsheet, which is then fitted onto a frame. A junction box is then attached to the panel for all electrical connections.
Finished efficiency of the Panel: once this process has been completed the PV module will typically have an efficiency of around 15-20% with an expected lifespan of approximately 30 years.
Some Examples of Monocrystalline Panels in Real Life:
To Sum It All Up...
Now you know what mono panels are and how they are made you can make a more informed decision around which panels on the market are best suited to you and your needs, if you need any further clarification on other kinds of panels such as polycrystalline solar panels or a comparison between mono and poly panels we have some helpful articles below.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions about Installing Solar Power
There are great government rebates/incentives still in place for eligible households. Basically, the larger the panel array, the more STCs your solar system generates as it is based on the expected output of the system over time.
When you buy a solar system, the purchase price is normally reduced by the value of the STCs created by your system. You simply fill out a form on the day of installation to confirm that the system has been installed, and that’s it. There is no additional paperwork that you need to do.
Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs)
Small-scale Technology Certificates (STC’s) – previously known as Renewable Energy Certificates or RECS – are created when a Renewable Energy System such as a Solar PV system is installed.
The number of STC’s depends on the predicted amount of energy generated and hence the larger the system the greater the rebate. In essence, one STC is created for every megawatt-hour of production capacity of the system.
This is further multiplied by the number of years the system is likely to generate energy (for home solar systems, this is usually 15 years, although the life of the solar panels themselves is considerably more than that).
This incentive program is being phased out until 2030, so each year the number of certificates your system is eligible for reduces.
STC Price
The system for trading and pricing STCs for small systems is managed by the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES).
STCs are bought by Liable Parties (usually electricity retailers) and must be surrendered at the end of each quarter. As the number of STCs that are required to be surrendered is a fixed amount each year, but the number of STCs created is variable, the price paid for STCs also varies and is determined by supply and demand.
The Federal Government legislated in 2010 a fixed price for STCs by implementing a Clearing House system where STCs can be bought and sold for $40. However, there is no requirement for Liable Parties to purchase from the Clearing House, so they are likely to only do so if there is a shortage of STCs or the market price exceeds $40. There is currently a surplus of STCs in the market which means the market price of STC’s below $40
The Feed In Tariff is only something you need to worry about if you don’t have battery storage.
The price your chosen energy retailer pays for any excess electricity generated from your solar panels is recorded as a credit on your power bill.
In NSW, solar power is fed into your home as it is generated and your household will use it first before you draw power from the grid.
This means that for every kWh of solar power used in the home you are directly saving money you’d spend on your power bill. This reduction in your power bill is the main financial benefit of solar power.
Everything else will be bought up at an agreed rate by your electricity retailer.
At the moment, most feed-in tariffs are between 5 and 10 cents per kWh, with many being about 7 cents. They bounce up and down a lot, for example in previous years they have been up over 20 cents per kWh. Typically, they are always at least 5 cents per kWh.
Once you sign up for a 1KOMMA5° Installation, we immediately submit your grid application to the relevant energy distributor. For systems up to 5kWs, this is a formality. For larger systems it can take a few days or more. Once we receive approval, your installation will be managed by our installation coordinator, who will welcome you to 1KOMMA5° and book an installation date for you. This is generally booked within around two weeks and installation dates are available Monday to Friday, weather permitting.
We endeavour to have your system installed within 2-4 weeks unless you request us to hold for whatever reason. Due to our strict safety policy, we do not install solar systems when it rains. In the event of inclement weather, we will rebook your installation as soon as possible. We always work with your requests as we strongly recommend that someone be home on the day of installation.
Green Loans can be an affordable way to pay for your solar power system and is only available for approved products. As a Clean Energy Council Accredited installer, all our systems qualify.
Green Loans can be used to finance 1KOMMA5° systems from $1,000 to $30,000 over a 2-7 year term. Once you have received a referral from 1KOMMA5°, online approval usually occurs within 1-2 business days. Green Loans have a competitive fixed interest rate that is as low as 7.99% p.a.* | Comparison rate 9.21% p.a.^ Establishment fee of $299 added to the loan amount. $2.70 per week account keeping fee included in repayments.
To be eligible to apply you must:
Be over 18 years old and an Australian resident or citizen
Own or be purchasing a home
Be employed, self-employed, a self-funded retiree; or is receiving the Government Age Pension
Have an Australian driver’s license or Passport
Provide two most recent payslips or 90 days of bank statements
There are a number of good, competitive Green Loan providers – ask us about the options available.
More Helpful Articles:
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