Overview
Photovoltaic systems have many components, one of which is solar panels.
The photovoltaic system collects solar energy and converts it into usable electrical energy. These photovoltaic panels can be used to meet energy needs or provide electricity to remote areas.
Solar energy is widely used in various electricity projects such as enterprises and public utilities, as well as residential and commercial applications.
At the same time, most of the solar panels you will see are blue, while the other part is mostly black. This color change is caused by the interaction between light and two different types of solar panels: monocrystalline silicon photovoltaic panels and polycrystalline photovoltaic panels.
After all, blue solar panels have always been the most common type of solar panel.
However, you may have noticed that some solar panels have a more stylish black appearance; They are becoming increasingly frequent in today’s market installations.
Although solar panels are currently black or extremely dark blue, you may find that colored solar panels are becoming increasingly popular.
If you also want to consider other color solar panels during installation, I believe this article’s content on solar photovoltaic panels will be helpful to you.
Table of Contents
Why are Most Solar Panels Black or Blue?
Firstly, let’s take a look at the material of solar panels, as you may find that the color of solar panels is not determined by the manufacturer’s aesthetic preferences.
The two main colors of solar panels are black and blue, corresponding to monocrystalline silicon and polycrystalline silicon, respectively.
There are two main types of commercially available solar panels: monocrystalline silicon solar panels and polycrystalline silicon solar panels.
This is the natural color that silicon becomes during the manufacturing process.
In addition, brand manufacturers and most customers are more concerned about efficiency. Black or blue solar panels are the most efficient, widely used, and cost-effective due to manufacturing process factors. Therefore, production naturally tends to lean towards these colors.
Black Monocrystalline Silicon Solar Panels
Single crystal solar panels are black and made of a single high-quality silicon crystal. Compared to the silicon crystals used in blue polycrystalline solar panels, this type of silicon has higher purity.
Each solar cell is made of monocrystalline silicon material, especially black which absorbs more light than blue, which greatly improves its efficiency.
As the cost of the entire industry decreases, most newer solar panel installations use these black monocrystalline silicon panels because people want them to provide higher efficiency.
So efficiency is the first factor that users consider.
Although the production methods for black and blue panels are basically the same, the entire process of producing single crystal black batteries is more complex than the process of producing polycrystalline blue solar cells.
The interaction effect between single crystal batteries and batteries composed of a large number of crystals is also different.
In order to obtain the correct shape of the battery, all four sides of the silicon chip will be cut off, which means that a large amount of pure silicon will be lost in the manufacturing process of black monocrystalline silicon solar cells.
Blue Polycrystalline Silicon Solar Panels
Polycrystalline solar panels are often referred to as “blue solar panels” due to their blue color. Unlike monocrystalline silicon batteries, polycrystalline silicon batteries are composed of multiple original silicon crystals.
Their manufacturing methods are very similar, however, for the production of polycrystalline silicon solar cells, the extraction process of silicon seeds (a material required to manufacture black single crystal solar cells) is bypassed.
After melting the silicon crystal and pouring it into the groove, simply cool it to make a polycrystalline silicon battery.
This results in blue solar cells having their own unique particles and boundaries, coupled with the way polycrystalline cells reflect light, ultimately giving these solar panels a blue reflective effect.
Polycrystalline silicon technology was cheaper than monocrystalline silicon technology in the past, which is why you may see more blue solar panels in some older installation sites.
What Is the Most Popular Color of Solar Panels Besides Black and Blue?
In addition to the classic black or blue, white and green solar panels are more common colors.
White solar panels are a popular choice for many companies in the commercial application market because their appearance is not eye-catching and better matches the external color scheme of buildings in cities.
Green solar panels are suitable for users living in areas with abundant greenery, dense vegetation, and even forests. Undoubtedly, this is also to adapt to the environmental color.
Do Solar Panels Come In Different Colors?
By reading this, I believe you already have the answer: Yes, solar panels come in multiple colors to choose from.
But you cannot simply order solar panels in your preferred colors to decorate your house based on personal preferences.
Generally speaking, colored panels are more expensive and generate less electricity.
Because currently, if solar panel manufacturers want to produce solar panel colors other than blue and black, they must use dyes or coatings.
As mentioned earlier, efficiency is linked to the interaction between light and these panels, so other colors will reduce the efficiency of the panels. Reducing the energy generated by solar panels will indirectly slow down the profit reporting period, so this method of coloring solar panels is not a good idea.
In addition, coatings and dyes will fade during the 15 to 20 year lifespan of solar panels, resulting in a loss of aesthetics.
The data shows that the efficiency of some colored solar panels (depending on their color) is 30-45% lower than that of standard blue polycrystalline silicon solar panels or black monocrystalline silicon solar panels.
This may slow down the speed at which solar photovoltaic systems expect to receive investment returns, especially since the cost of these panels is higher, resulting in higher upfront investment.
However, researchers are also trying many new technologies to create more efficient color panels and a wider range of colors, so that solar panels can adapt to more environments, color schemes, and environmental aesthetics.
So even though we don’t have all the rainbow colored solar panels yet, this technology is being researched and developed, and we can look forward to the future together.
However, solar energy installers may not be willing to purchase these colored solar panels at present, as for them, the vast majority of customers choose solar energy to reduce energy costs and lower their billing figures.
Therefore, customers may not necessarily want solar panels with fancy colors because they have higher costs and lower conversion efficiency. So for installers, the cost of providing color solar panels for individual customer needs is too high.
Can I Buy Color Solar Panels?
Although colored solar panels may not be the most commercially viable product for installers and manufacturers, you can still choose to install colored solar panels on the roof.
However, due to the lower efficiency and higher cost of current technology compared to black and blue solar panels, you may need to collaborate with specialized manufacturers or installers to order and install them.
Before making a purchase, you need to understand
- Dyes and coatings cannot cope well with harsh weather conditions, so colored panels may eventually lose their ability to function within 25 years of use. Therefore, for ordinary homeowners, this aesthetic improvement is not worth sacrificing the efficiency of the panels and increasing their investment costs.
- Due to the different ways silicon is formed during the manufacturing process, you also need to find a full line communicator willing to start working with you during the design phase to design a photovoltaic system solution that uses these less efficient color photovoltaic panels but still produces the maximum power within its range.
This is a long-term partnership that requires customization according to your preferences.
Choosing GYCX, our company that provides one-stop services, is your ideal choice.
Color Generated by Scattered Light in Solar Panels
Researchers have studied the integration reaction between silicon solar cells and dielectric nano scatterers composed of crystalline silicon nano cylinders on their surfaces, resulting in the development of bright green solar cells with an efficiency loss of only 9-11%.
Surface Structure
A research team from the University of Hong Kong in China utilized a microscopic shape that only reflects narrow and selective light, resulting in color.
The research team sprayed a layer of disordered dielectric micro zinc sulfide spheres onto the surface of the solar cell.
Most light passes through photonic glass, however, selective color is reflected based on the size of the sphere. Researchers created blue, green, and purple solar panels, but their efficiency only decreased by about 1-2%.
Through standard durability testing, solar panels made of a layer of photonic glass have also maintained their color and performance.
The team is researching how to make colors more vibrant and saturated, and generate a wider range of colors.
Solar Windows
There is a huge demand for air conditioning and cooling in residential and commercial buildings in the United States, and a feasible solution is to generate solar energy by sandwiched perovskite crystal films between glass layers and utilizing sunlight to generate photovoltaic electricity.
Perovskite is a crystalline mineral that can utilize sunlight and convert it into electricity, making it a hot research topic due to its potential to replace silicon as a high-quality material for solar systems at lower costs and higher efficiency.
NREL scientists place a layer of perovskite film between two layers of glass and inject water vapor to change the internal humidity.
This will generate a chemical reaction, causing the perovskite to arrange into different shapes. For example, from chain structures to flakes, and even cubes.
The change in shape can lead to different colors, and after reducing humidity, the perovskite will return to its normal transparent state.
So, for the traditional concept of windows, an application question has emerged:
Does transparent solar panels exist?
Transparent solar panels, also known as photovoltaic glass, are less popular than white solar panels because they have higher construction and installation costs.
And compared to black solar panels, its efficiency is only 5%, which is extremely low in cost-effectiveness. However, for devices like windows, it is a relatively ideal material.
So although photovoltaic glass can be used for solar panels, people are currently more interested in using it in solar windows.
So from a technical perspective, during manufacturing, the arrangement and dispersion behavior of silicon nanotubes on the panel surface can be adjusted to change the way light is scattered, resulting in different colors.
From an aesthetic perspective, due to the ability to create three primary colors of red, green, and blue, it can be said that almost any other color can be created on the panel.
Energy and Aesthetics
Why do you want a colorful solar panel?
Roof solar panels now have multiple color options to meet different user needs, although this may be niche.
As mentioned earlier, the appearance difference between blue and black solar panels is related to the manufacturing process, and after meeting the efficiency needs of users, people naturally start to pursue more things, such as their design and aesthetics.
If you enjoy adventure, warm colors may be your preferred color, and gold or orange can attract you.
If you love to see the sea and enjoy a peaceful atmosphere, cool colors such as lake blue and grape gray may be your favorite.
If you expect a different environmental atmosphere in one environment, such as in the orange yellow color scheme around the desert, you can also choose a blue-green design to achieve some unique and contradictory environmental beauty.
Here are several color combinations based on Chinese aesthetic art color scheme design, which may arouse your interest in colored solar panels.
Dunhuang Color Scheme
The use of solar panels, solar roof tiles, and even photovoltaic windows is beneficial for the construction of residential and commercial buildings, providing more color aesthetics when harvesting more energy benefits.
As development progresses, replacing the single color scheme of black solar panels will provide architects and decorators with more inspiration. Homeowners and end-users are more receptive and have more types of choices, which will lead to more people choosing solar systems.
It is highly worthwhile to conduct research on solar energy colorization in the industry.
Conclusion
The technology related to solar panels has been advancing, and some companies are committed to developing more efficient color panels.
With the development of demand, more aesthetically pleasing choices have become a reality. Some people who pursue beauty may consider color when choosing to install solar panels, believing that sacrificing a little efficiency can provide more visual enjoyment.
If you want the color of solar photovoltaic panels to match the environmental beautification of your house or city, you should pay attention to the latest related photovoltaic panels, which can increase the range of available colors of photovoltaic panels and reduce their efficiency loss.
If you don’t want to wait and are ready to install a solar system at home immediately, please contact GYCX immediately.
We are willing to cooperate with you from the design phase to installation, providing long-term maintenance to ensure that you obtain the solar power generation system that is suitable for you to provide the maximum energy power required and reduce the most unnecessary cost expenses.
