Solar panels that generate electricity are called Photo-voltaic or PV
panels. There are a few different types of panel available. The main 3 types
are Mono-crystalline, Poly-crystalline and Amorphous. They all have their
advantages and disadvantages.
Mono-crystalline (single dark blue color) has a typical efficiency rating of about 15-17%. Costs are usually slightly higher than other types due
to complicated manufacturing techniques.
Poly-crystalline (lighter blue broken glass appearance is similar to mono-crystalline except the slices are made from multiple crystal's grown
together. Costs are slightly lower and efficiency is around 12%. These panels
suffer from efficiency loss at high temperature.
Amorphous (brown gloss as seen on calculators) operates at around 6%
but has the advantage of being flexible. Larger panels tend to be more
expensive than crystalline versions as they are less popular.
