According to icon Pvt, the Best Solar Company in Lahore connected more than 50,000 solar self-consumption installations in 2021. This is 70% more than in 2020″ . Faced with soaring electricity prices, more and more households want to produce their energy. Hence the current enthusiasm for solar technologies. What are the different solar panels that exist? How to choose the right photovoltaic panels? What are the criteria to use?
The Different Types of Solar Panels
Before getting to the heart of the matter, it should be remembered that several types of solar panels exist. While all produce energy from sunlight, they have different uses.
The Photovoltaic Solar Panel
The photovoltaic solar panel is used to generate electricity. Composed of silicon cells, it captures solar radiation. As ADEME explains, silicon is one of the semiconductor materials. They have “the property of generating electricity when they receive sunlight”.
Under the action of photons, the particles of sunlight, and the electrons present in the silicon are activated. In doing so, they generate a direct current.
This direct current is then transformed by an inverter into an alternating current. It can thus be injected into the national electricity network of Endevis and supply the electrical appliances of a household or a company.
The Thermal Solar Panel
A solar thermal panel is used to produce heat. Made up of thermal sensors, it uses the heat of the sun to raise the temperature of a heat transfer liquid. This can heat the heating circuit or for the production of domestic hot water.
The Hybrid Solar Panel
The hybrid panel combines photovoltaic technology with solar thermal. Also referred to as a “PVT panel”. The acronym is formed from the contraction of the words “Photovoltaic” and “Thermal”.
Which Solar Panel To Choose Between Photovoltaic, Thermal Or Hybrid?
This varies depending on consumer expectations. If the latter wishes to produce heat, it is more appropriate to turn to thermal solar panels. For its part, the photovoltaic panel is more suitable for reducing the electricity bill.
PVT panels combine both technologies. They help reduce electricity and heating bills. However, this equipment remains fairly recent. They are therefore often quite expensive.
The Power of The Solar Panel
Then, it will be necessary to look at the power of the panel. Expressed in Watt-peak (Wp), it measures the production capacity of a solar panel under conditions of optimal sunshine. The more powerful the panel, the more it can produce, and the less roofing area you will need to mobilize.
Inverter And Cables
The quality of the inverter and the wiring devices are among the elements to be given importance. Indeed, they can generate power losses at the system level. In connection with the yield of the panels, they make it possible to measure the performance ratio. This is generally between 0.7 and 0.8 for efficient installations. Also, the choice to have a central inverter or micro-inverter can be important. The choice to have several micro-inverters makes it possible to have more resilience of the plant in the event of failure of a panel.
Adding An Energy Manager
To optimize your production and consumption, there are various options. In particular, it is possible to accompany your self-consumption production plant with an electricity manager, such as Yuzu. This little box triggers your water heater when the solar panels produce electricity. Thus, it is possible to increase the energy autonomy linked to self-consumption up to 20 %, which can reach 70% in certain cases. In other words, 70% of production will be consumed locally.
What Are The Latest Generation Solar Panels?
The photovoltaic solar sector is constantly evolving and new technologies are emerging. This is for example the case of organic solar panels. Very light, they apply like paint or wallpaper. They are still under development. For the moment their yield appears to be very low.
