The Photovoltaic solar energy It is used to produce electricity in a self-sufficient way in private homes, companies or communities by capturing the sun\’s rays through solar panels. But not all panels are the same or offer the same features, so we\’ll answer the question: What are the types of solar panels and how do they work?
The reason we deal with this issue is that depending on the needs we have as solar self-consumption users, the type of property and the end result we want to achieve, we have to choose between one type of solar panel or another . Thus, depending on their purpose, the main types are:
- photovoltaic solar panels
- thermal solar panels
- Hybrid solar panels: photovoltaic + thermal
In addition to knowing the types of solar panels and how they work, you may be interested to know as protect the solar panels of a photovoltaic installation. This way, you can be sure that it generates electricity for longer in a safer way.
[boton-cta]
The 3 types of solar panels and how they work
Let\’s see in detail below each type of solar panel to check, in this way, which may interest us the most, evaluating the needs and characteristics of the property where we want to have one photovoltaic solar installation.
photovoltaic solar panels
Lost photovoltaic solar panels they convert energy from the sun into electricity, so they are a clean and sustainable alternative for generating the electricity needed in homes and businesses of all kinds.
These plates are made of silicon photovoltaic cells that, through a conversion process, allow the energy from sunlight to be transformed into electricity. Specifically, this transformation is performed by solar inverters facilities as follows:
Photons (particles present in sunlight) have an impact on the silicon that the solar panel is made of. With the impact on the silicon atoms, the photons break and some of them are released, which are the ones that generate the electric current. Of course, in order to be incorporated into the electrical system, alternating current is converted into direct current.
In addition to the explanations how solar photovoltaic panels worknow we explain its classification according to how photovoltaic cells are composed.
- monocrystalline solar panels: they are made up of a multitude of photovoltaic cells and are very useful for places where there is little exposure to the sun during the day because they offer very good performance in low light conditions.
- polycrystalline solar panels: are the most widespread in the residential area, in solar self-consumption in homes and consist in the union of several silicon crystals due to the artificial cooling of a monocrystalline cell.
The difference between a monocrystalline and a polycrystalline solar panel lies in its transformation process, whereby the silicon ingots obtained are cylindrical to obtain monocrystalline silicon, or square to obtain polycrystalline silicon.
thermal solar panels
The second type of solar panels are thermal, also called solar collector or thermosyphon. They allow conversion of energy from the sun into thermal energy, that is, in the heat. This process takes place through heating a heat transfer fluid stored in a tank or accumulator and which transfers its energy to water.
Lost thermal solar panels They are used to heat water for heating, pool heating, domestic hot water (water obtained from a home boiler) or to create steam. In the same way as it happens with photovoltaic solar panels, there are several types of thermals:
- Low temperature collector or unprotected flat solar collector: it reaches a maximum of 50ºC and is mainly used for heating and domestic hot water.
- medium temperature collector: incorporates a transparent cover that prevents heat loss from the solar panel and thanks to it can reach a temperature of up to 90 ° C.
- high temperature manifold: this type of solar panel adds another cover between the previous one and the converter, generating a vacuum between the two covers, so that a temperature of up to 150ºC can be reached. They are commonly used to produce steam that drives turbines to generate electricity.
Solar thermal panels can also be divided or classified into two types of collectors:
- flat pickups: there are low, medium and high temperatures. The first ones are able to heat up to a maximum of 50ºC; the seconds, up to 90ºC; and thirds up to 150ºC. That is, they correspond directly to the three types of collectors mentioned just before.
- Collectors with vacuum tubes: they have a cylindrical shape and are always placed in a parallel position, which is the biggest difference they have with flat collectors, which are similar in appearance to photovoltaic panels.
[boton-cta]
hybrid solar panels
The last types of solar panels are hybrids, which are the result of the union of the previous two: photovoltaic and thermal. The hybrid solar panels They are a mixture that combines the two technologies in a single panel or board. With these panels we can produces electricity and heat simultaneously.
The main advantage of these hybrid solar panels is to reduce the space required to take advantage of solar energy by combining two panels into one. It is a perfect alternative to solar self-consumption in companies due to its high energy demand and space usage.
As with the two previous types of solar panels described, hybrids are classified into several subtypes:
- Generation 0 hybrid solar panels: they were the first to be manufactured and the temperature they reach is low, as they do not have any kind of insulation. The consequence is that the heat generated is lost and its performance is poorer.
- First generation hybrid solar panels: They have a back cover that allows them to retain the heat generated, so it has a higher performance.
- Second generation hybrid solar panels: They are the most modern boards and offer, in addition to the back cover, a transparent front cover, which further increases your performance and productivity.
How to choose between types of solar panels?
As I explained, solar panels are not of one type, but there are three large groups. Each of them has singularities and characteristics, so the choice between one or the other will depend on factors such as those mentioned above: consumer needs, what we want to achieve with the tiles (electricity, heat or both) and the type of property in which it will be find the photovoltaic installation.
For this reason, at we recommend that you get in touch with solar energy experts, so that they can advise you on which type of solar panel best suits your needs, knowing how it works because we have summarized it in this article .