This blog post explains why some solar panels are black and some are blue and the difference between the two.
Why are solar panels black in color.
The blue color has an anti reflective property which increases the absorbing capacity and efficiency of the solar panel.
While the monocrystalline and amorphous cells appear to be black a closer inspe.
The solar panels are blue in color because they are made using polycrystalline which is a type of silicon.
The raw silicon is melted and poured into a mold.
The blue color is largely due to an anti reflective coating that helps improve the absorbing capacity and efficiency of the solar panels.
This article will dive into the different solar panel color and framing options available to homeowners and the pros and cons of each setup.
Why solar panels are blue or black in color.
Solar panels are blue due to the type of silicon polycrystalline that is used for a certain set of solar panels.
Yet most solar panels are blue in color since polycrystalline panels make up the majority.
We will see these things in the following paragraphs.
Consequently most solar panels have a blue hue to them.
This is why most people will recall an image of several blue rectangular panels on hearing the word solar.
Black solar panels are monocrystalline solar panels and are created from the highest quality silicon.
It has high light absorption capacity than the blue colored poly crystalline solar panel hence appears black in color black color absorbs more sunlight than the blue color.
The silicon used to make the black panels have a very high purity although the alignment of the silicon is similar to that present in a polycrystalline.
A black backsheet is a bad choice from the point of view of efficiency because the hotter solar panels get the worse they perform and in sunlight black gets hotter than white.
Sistine solar skins are a relatively new technology coming out of an mit startup.
You ll note that the polycrystalline cells which are very common are decidedly blue.
So the gaps between solar cells on a panel with a black backsheet will absorb heat instead of reflecting it.
A material that is relatively cheap to produce and efficient at generating an electrical charge.
Technically the color black is known to absorb the highest amount of light.
Here s a comparison of the three primary types of silicon pv cell.
In the black colored mono crystalline solar panels the silicon is aligned in the same way forming the large single crystal of silicon.
These solar skins do not fundamentally change the color of your solar panels but they do offer a solution for consumers that are looking for something outside of the traditional blue or black color.