Frequently asked questions

PV is the acronym which stands for photovoltaic. It is the solar cell technology that converts sunlight into electricity.

The main difference between mono-crystalline and poly-crystalline panels is the purity of the silicon used.

To make solar cells for monocrystalline solar panels, silicon is formed into bars and cut into wafers. These types of panels are called mono-crystalline to indicate that the silicon used is single-crystal silicon. Because the cell is composed of a single crystal, the electrons that generate a flow of electricity have more room to move. As a result, monocrystalline panels have greater efficiencies than their poly-crystalline counterparts and generally thought of as a premium solar product.

Poly-crystalline solar panels generally have lower efficiencies than mono-crystalline panels, but their advantage is a lower price point. Poly-crystalline panels are also made from silicon, however instead of using a single crystal of silicon, manufacturers melt many fragments of silicon together to form the wafers for the panel. These panels are also referred to as multi-crystalline because there are many crystals in each cell, meaning there is less freedom for the electrons to move.

Aesthetically mono-crystalline panels are favoured by customers for their black appearance opposed to the poly-crystalline panels, which are bluer in colour due to light reflection.

Simply put, a collection of solar panels is electrically connected to form a string. One or more strings form an array of solar panels.

No. Solar panels are tested to withstand hail. 

The term “Tier 1” refers to the “bankability” of the solar panel manufacturer, not the quality of the solar panel itself.

The Tier 1 ranking scale was created by Bloomberg Energy Finance Corporation as a way to rank solar panel manufacturers in terms of their financial stability.

Bloomberg defines a Tier 1 solar manufacturer as “those which have provided products to five different projects which have been financed non-recourses by five different banks in the past two years”.

Tier 1 solar panels only come from the top 2% of solar manufacturers that are vertically integrated which means every stage of the manufacturing process is quality controlled. The manufacturer also uses advanced robotic processes and invests heavily in research & development. They must also have been manufacturing solar panels for over 5 years to qualify.

Digital meters, sometimes called “smart meters”, are devices that automatically record electricity use, then electronically report that information to the electricity retailer at regular intervals. These meters provide secure data that can show peak usage and isolate outages.

For some people, when they go solar, they will require a smart meter upgrade. This is arranged between the household and its energy retailer.