In this video, we're going to look at the differences between the black monocrystalline and the blue polycrystalline solar panels

Chapters
0:00 Manufacturing process
2:07 Appearance & Sustainability
3:12 Efficiency
4:08 Output
7:22 Temperature coefficient
8:23 Cost
9:40 Summary

How the monocrystalline panels are made. Sand or silicon dioxide is reduced with carbon in an electric arc furnace at temperatures greater than 1900 degrees Celsius or 3500 degrees Fahrenheit. This gives us 99% pure silicon and carbon dioxide. But this silicon isn’t pure enough so it’s refined further using the Czochralski method. A rodmounted seed crystal is dipped into the molten silicon and slowly pulled upwards while being rotated. This allows 99.99999% pure silicon to solidify into an ingot up to 2 meters in length and several hundred kilograms in weight. These ingots are sliced into thin wafers 180 to 350 micrometers thick. Monocrystalline panels are expensive to produce and there’s a lot of waste generated when you cut the wafers down from a circle to a square, so scientists invented another way to make solar panels using silicon fragments which led to polycrystalline panels. The purified silicon crystals are melted in a large container for 20 hours and then slowly cooled down over 3 days.

The monocrystalline panels are homogeneous black or dark blue because they are made of a single, onedirectional crystal. The polycrystalline panels are lighter blue because when the many crystals of silicon cool, they make a fractal, multidirectional pattern. The manufacturing process of monocrystalline panels is slow, energy intensive and very expensive. It produces a lot of waste which makes it the least sustainable type of panel. Polycrystalline panels, on the other hand, are much cheaper to produce and they generate very little waste which makes their production more sustainable.

When monocrystalline panels were first invented in 1941, they had less than 1% conversion efficiency. It’s now reached 26.7% in a lab, under ideal conditions. But their average efficiency is between 17 and 22%, making it the most efficient type of panel in the market. Polycrystalline panels used to be a lot less efficient 10 or even 5 years ago, but they can now convert around 15% of the solar energy into electricity.

To compare the output, I bought 2 panels off Amazon. The monocrystalline panel had a steady reading or 19.24 volts when it laid flat on the ground. However, when I started tilting the panel so it would be perpendicular to the sun’s rays, the reading went up to 19.5 volts. Next I tested the polycrystalline panel, which surprised me. I expected the reading to be lower since they are both 50 watt panels, but it was actually higher! 20.03 volts when it laid flat on the ground. It reached a maximum of 20.31 volts when it was angled. The temp coefficient of Pmax for the Renogy monocrystalline panel is 0.44% per degree Celsius. It is 0.45% per degree Celsius for the Rich Solar polycrystalline panel. The monocrystalline panel was $75 while the polycrystalline panel was $60.

So, in conclusion. Should you buy monocrystalline or polycrystalline solar panels systems? Well, “it doesn’t matter”. Polycrystalline panels are now a solid competitor to the monocrystalline ones. In 2013, monocrystalline solar cells had a market share of 36%, but the market share has since dropped below 25%. The type of panel you buy doesn’t really matter, the brand and quality does.

RESOURCES (Amazon affiliate links):
Renogy Monocrystalline solar panel https://amzn.to/3drn31U
Rich Solar Polycrystalline solar panel https://amzn.to/3jZOxhM
Canon EOS RP vlogging camera https://amzn.to/3iG3ft0
Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM Wide Angle Lens https://amzn.to/31PvzSZ
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens https://amzn.to/3kEuTZj
Canon Mount Adapter https://amzn.to/3kFLuvZ

SOURCES:
   • Video   HOW IT’S MADE
   • UNSW float zone (FZ) silicon ingot fo...   UNSW
   • 450mm Silicon Ingot Lift Assist   Ergonomic Partners
   • Video   Diamond Wire Loop
   • Eclipse 100W Monocrystalline Solar Panel   Renogy
   • Rich Solar Factory Video   Rich Solar

Fluffy by Smith The Mister https://smiththemister.bandcamp.com
Smith The Mister https://bit.ly/SmithTheMisterYT
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/stmfluffy
Music promoted by Audio Library    • Fluffy – Smith The Mister (No Copyrig...  

Disclaimer: This video was created for educational/informational purposes and qualifies as Fair Use. If you are the creator or own the footage featured in this video and have reservations please notify me via Youtube comments or email and I will accommodate you.
#monocrystalline #polycrystalline #amazon #comparison #renewable #energy #solarpanel