Monocrystalline
panels use crystalline silicon, a basic semiconductor material.
Crystalline silicon is produced in large sheets that can be cut
to a specific size and used as one large cell in a panel. Conducting
metal strips are laid over the entire cell to collect electrons
from the cell into an electrical current.
These panels
are more expensive to produce than the polycrystalline panels
that follow. However, they are highly efficient and are more
cost-effective in the long run as a result. Monocrystalline
panels are typically 15-18% efficient, meaning that for every
unit of solar energy that hits the cell, the panel can convert
15-18% of this energy into electricity.
