Solar panels provide renewable energy for your home, which helps the environment and reduces your electricity bill. But not all panels are alike. The material a panel is made of, what solar inverter it uses, and how it mounts to your roof determines what environments it works best in. Before you buy solar panels for your home, research the different factors and decide which option is right for you.
Things You Should Know:
Weigh the pros and cons of monocrystalline, polycrystalline, thin-film, and amorphous solar panels, including how much they cost and how much energy they produce.
To make sure you get a high-quality product that's produced in environmentally-friendly ways, purchase your panels from a manufacturer that's listed on Bloomberg's Tier 1 Solar Panel list.
Your solar inverter is an important component of converting to solar, so choose one that will work well with the type of system you're installing.
The way you mount your panels depends on the type of roof you have, the direction it faces, and how much sunlight you get a day.
1. Choose monocrystalline solar panels for efficiency. Monocrystalline solar panels are the best at converting light to energy because of their high silicon purity. That being said, monocrystalline solar panels are often the most expensive—this option is best if you want the highest productivity and price tag.
2. Go with polycrystalline solar panels for an environmentally-friendly option. Polycrystalline solar panels utilize all of the silicon material they're manufactured with, making them the "greenest" panel option. Polycrystalline solar panels are also cheaper than monocrystalline panels, though they are not quite as efficient.
3. Buy thin-film solar panels for the most budget-friendly option. Thin-film panels are cost-efficient to make and are usually the cheapest option. They also, however, degrade faster than other panels. Choose thin-film if you need a simple solar panel that may need more repairs over the years.