Once you have decided what size solar panel system you would like, the next step is to work out what kind of solar panels will meet your needs. This should not be decided based solely on price, because power efficiency, lifetime, warranty, and space needed are all important factors.

Too often people base purchasing decisions on cost alone, and then in two years wonder why no-one picks up the phone from the “fly-by-night company” they bought their solar panels from when the inverter dies or their output is reduced by half. It’s also very important to recognise that there are different qualities of panels on the market and you should compare “apples with apples”.

There are three main types of panels: Monocrystalline, Polycrystalline, and thin-film or Amorphous, and you should learn to recognize the advantages and disadvantages of them all. If your main motivation when purchasing panels is cost, then I suggest you compare “like with like”. It’s silly to compare the price of Mono with the latest Amorphous panel and make your purchasing decision from cost alone.

One very important distinction to make regarding solar panels is the range wattages on the market. Watts are related to the output of each panel, so a 200W panel would output 200 watts per hour. You should expect to pay twice the cost of a 100W panel.

Warranties

Solar PV (photo-voltaic) panels have a performance warranty that should last up to 25 years, and a guarantee of five to ten years. In addition, installers can provide a warranty on workmanship, which is typically five years. Ask your solar retailer who will be providing the warranty, the name of the importer and/or manufacturer, and what you should do if something fails.

You should be aware that if a cheap solar panel importer stops trading sometime in the future, their warranty obligation ceases. You will feel far more at ease with a well-known brand that has service agents for warranty work in Australia.

These are three main types of solar panel available, each with their own benefits:

Monocrystalline Cells

Monocrystalline panels are a proven and reliable technology, used for the past 50 years and still popular today. They have the best conversion efficiency at 12-18% of all sunlight. As these have the highest power to size ratio, they’re the best option if you’ve got limited roof space. They also degrade very slowly, generally losing 0.25 – 0.5% per year. Their lifespan can be 25 years, and even up to 50 years if cared for.

Disadvantages:

Monocrystalline cells don’t perform as well as other panels in shady conditions, and they are fairly fragile. They can be more expensive to manufacture due to their complexity.

Polycrystalline Cells

Polycrystalline compares fairly well in performance and longevity to monocrystalline, and provide efficiency of 12-13%. Well known brands include BP SX, Sharp and Kyocera.

Polycrystalline panels provide excellent longevity (around 25 years). They work optimally at 25 degrees C and will lose some efficiency at higher temperatures (over 50 degrees C), which is common in our summer.

Amorphous Thin Film

Thin film panels typically have a much lower efficiency at 6%, however, Cadmium Telluride Thin-Film panels (CdTe) have progressed to 11% efficiency. These are more suitable for inland Australia conditions where space is no problem and temperatures are hot. Amorphous panels don’t lose energy in higher heats.

Disadvantages are: Lifespan is reduced; there is a 3-6 month breaking-in period; and they typically require double to triple the roof space for the same output of crystalline cells.

When choosing solar panels remember to focus on the goal of recouping your set-up costs through savings in electricity. The more efficient and higher watt panels will achieve this faster. However, if you are looking at solar farms in Outback Australia where temperatures regularly climb higher than 40 degrees celcius and there is a bit of cloud cover (these panels also work much better in the shade}, then these panels could be suitable.

The Requirements of Solar Panels

With all types of solar panels, the owner must ensure they are maintained and kept free from dirt and shade, because these things affect solar power output.

Panels are installed facing north and at a roof angle of a minimum 10 degrees. Do the solar panels you want actually fit in the space you want to place them? Each solar panel is about 1.6 m long by 0.8 m wide. A 1.5kW solar panel system requires around 12 m of north-facing roof space. As mentioned, this footprint varies depending on the type of panel. Don’t worry if you can’t work out the amount of unshaded space the roof has for your panels, because your specialist can calculate it precisely when quoting. You may want to be conservative with the space, though, in case you want to add more panels later to cover more of your energy needs.

My Solar Price specialise in solar power, solar hot water, and solar pool heating quotes. For three free quotes you can visit My Solar Price.

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