Polycrystalline Solar Panels:
These are cost-effective and are less efficient than monocrystalline panels. These are made of silicon and the process of making is similar to the monocrystalline panels. Except that the Silicon crystals are allowed to fragment and then cooled. The colour of the Polycrystalline cells is blue due to how the sunlight is reflected by the cell. The back frame is silver or white.
Thin-Film Solar Panels:
These are the newly developed panels made of several materials like cadmium telluride (CdTe), Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS) and amorphous silicon (a-Si). They are extremely flexible and portable and have lesser efficiency than the previous ones. Just like their title, they are slender panels. They are attached with conducting materials and electrodes in-between the panes.
The colour of the cells differs from blue to black. This is exclusive to the type of material they are made from. They tend to have a layer of glass or metal on top for their protection and the top layer is subjective to the material used.
These Thin-film panels can run approximately up to 350nm thickness. Thin-film cells can be black or blue, based on the material they were created from. The application of thin-films is not just seen in solar industry, but also in optics. According to recent research, there is a usage of thin-films for night vision.
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