What Exactly is a Solar Panel?

A solar panel is a device that is used to harness the energy of the sun's rays to produce energy in the form of electricity. It is what is known as a renewable energy. Other renewable energies include wind, tidal and solar thermal energy. It is a form of renewable energy that has become increasingly popular in recent years as interest in environmentally friendly forms of energy has increased. It is seen as a 'clean' form of energy because its production does not involve the emission of any harmful greenhouse gases.

The UK government has ploughed a considerable amount of funding into the promotion of 'clean' forms of energy like solar power with grants and financial incentives like the 'feed-in' tariff. Solar power as an industry is growing significantly each year and currently the largest markets for solar power in the European community are Spain and Germany.

What are Monocrystalline Panels?

Monocrystalline (single crystal) panels are one of the two most common forms of solar panel, the other being polycrystalline. They are seen as the most reliable and durable of all solar panels and have been in use for decades. They are highly efficient at converting sunlight into electricity but are also more expensive than other types of panel. They do, however, have a tendency to perform less well in more extreme temperatures. Typically monocrystalline panels are either black or blue in appearance.

Advantages of Monocrystalline Panels

Monocrystalline panels are considered to be the most efficient kind of panels and so are used most commonly on larger scale installations like telecommunications buildings and factories. However, due to the manufacturing process involved in producing them being much more complex than polycrystalline panels, they are considerably more expensive.

Monocrystalline panels are the best option if you have limited space because of their increased efficiency. They deliver more energy per square foot than other types of panel. As mentioned earlier, they are also extremely durable - they last a minimum of twenty five years but some have been known to last closer to forty or fifty years or more.

On the down side, however, these kinds of panel are particularly fragile and so must always be mounted using a rigid mounting system. Another downside is that their output reduces quite significantly once the temperature goes over a certain point (around 50 degrees celsius), so you should keep this in mind when planning your system.

Finding 120W Monocrystalline Solar Panels

There are many different brands and suppliers of 120W solar panels on the market. Knowing which one to choose can be a bit confusing given how many there are out there. This is where using a comparison site can be very useful. They are useful because they allow you to compare the various different suppliers directly to find the best value deal. All you need do is enter a few details about yourself (where you are located, the size of your property, how many panels you are looking for), and they will list all the best suppliers nearest to you along with their contact details and a guide to their prices, or they will pass your details to the suppliers themselves for them to contact you directly.

The Feed-In Tariff

This is a government funded financial incentive scheme that pays you for every unit of electricity that you produce from solar power whether it is used or not. It is a government funded scheme but it is actually the energy supplier who makes the payments to you. They will pay you 41.3p per unit of electricity that you produce from your solar panels and they will pay you an additional 3p for every unit that you produce but do not use. You sign up for the scheme when you initially have the panels installed and the payments last for the lifetime of the panels (around 25-30 years).

How can I get Free Panels?

As buying and installing solar panels can be quite expensive, a number of energy providers will now supply and install panels for free in return for the feed in tariff payments that the panels provide. In return you receive the free electricity generated by the panels and the energy supplier uses the surplus electricity
generated and puts it back into the national grid, as well as taking the payments from the feed in tariff for the electricity generated by the panels.

Hopefully you now have a clearer idea of how to find the best 120w solar panels on the market and the benefits that can be gained from having them installed.