Choosing Between Monocrystalline and Polycrystalline Photovoltaic Cells
Release time:
2025-09-04
When purchasing photovoltaic modules, you need to consider not only your income situation but also the component cost and overall operation and maintenance cost.
When purchasing photovoltaic modules, you need to consider not only your income situation but also the component cost and overall operation and maintenance cost. Photovoltaic module testing can help you determine which type of battery module has good performance and low cost. Currently, the battery modules on the market include polycrystalline modules, thin - film modules, and monocrystalline modules.
The shapes of monocrystalline and polycrystalline modules also differ in appearance. Polycrystalline battery cells are square substrates. Polycrystalline silicon can be directly made into square materials through special methods. The silicon rods of monocrystalline battery cells are cylindrical, and the planar utilization rate is relatively low when they are sliced into solar modules. Polycrystalline battery modules are blue, which reduces the conversion efficiency of solar light. Noah Testing Engineer Zhang said that monocrystalline battery modules have obvious advantages in this regard. They are black and have a higher photoelectric conversion efficiency compared with polycrystalline battery modules.
In terms of price, the cost of monocrystalline battery modules is higher than that of polycrystalline modules, but their conversion rate is relatively higher. Currently, most photovoltaic projects on the market prefer to purchase polycrystalline battery modules. This is because the production process of polycrystalline battery modules is simpler than that of monocrystalline modules, and the cost is lower. There is also a type of battery module called thin - film modules. They have strong light transmittance and are suitable for agricultural greenhouses that require high light transmittance and buildings with insufficient load - bearing capacity. However, the disadvantages of thin - film modules are high cost, large land occupation, and long payback period. Therefore, currently, polycrystalline battery modules are the first choice for developers, resulting in a relatively high market share of polycrystalline battery modules.
In conclusion, there are many reasons why polycrystalline battery modules are popular, from price to ease of use. They have mature technology, high cost - performance ratio, short payback period, and are suitable for most photovoltaic operators.
