Solar PV panels
Photovoltaic panels or PV panels are made up of PV cells which are connected together. These cells are mostly made of silicon, an element that creates electricity when exposed to sunlight (because of its semiconductor characteristics and the photoelectric effect). The cell may be monocrystalline or made of a single crystal of silicon; it can also be polycrystalline, which means many crystals of silicon were melted to make the cell.
Monocrystalline panels are of higher quality. As a result, they are also more expensive, and more efficient—during peak sunlight hours.
Polycrystalline panels have lower efficiency compared to mono, but they compensate by their ability to generate power even in low sunlight conditions. Their operational hours are therefore longer.