Comprehensive Guide to Solar Panel Types
Comprehensive Guide to Solar Panel Types The push for renewable energy sources has led to a surge in solar energy use. In the past decade alone, the solar industry grew by almost 50%, buoyed by federal support such as the Solar Investment Tax Credit and strong commercial and industrial demand for clean energy. As the solar sector continues to rise, it’s worth studying the backbone of the solar industry: solar panels. This guide will illustrate the different types of solar panels available on the market today, their strengths and weaknesses, and which is best suited for specific use cases. What is a Solar Panel? Solar panels are used to collect solar energy from the sun and convert it into electricity. The typical solar panel is composed of individual solar cells, each of which is made from layers of silicon, boron and phosphorus. The boron layer provides the positive charge, the phosphorus layer provides the negative charge, and the silicon wafer acts as the sem...