Thin film solar panels                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

The diversification of renewable energy sources and providing affordable, efficient and easy-to-access renewable solutions is paramount to large scale adoption across the globe but especially here in the UK where the government aims to achieve Net Zero by 2050; the more comfortable a change is to make, the more willing the public will be to embrace it, long term. And thin film solar panels seem to be an affordable - indeed, relatively cheap - way for individual households or businesses to introduce renewable energy sources into homes or offices and therefore their daily lives.

And, with lots of talk in the news at the moment around solar energy and solar panel technology, we thought we’d explore thin film solar panels - their advantages, disadvantages and the impact they’re having on the renewable energy industry.

Thin film solar panels, AKA thin-film solar cells

Billed as the future of the solar industry by some avid fans and passionate industry professionals, thin film solar panels are a lightweight alternative to traditional crystalline solar panels - offering a more budget friendly solar module to their heavyweight counterparts.

The advantages of thin film over crystalline solar panels

The advantages of thin film cells are extremely straightforward: They are easy to place on rooftops or on walls, they’re much lighter and flexible, and easier to install across a wider variety of locations.

What’s more, the thin material of which they are made (either 1. cadmium telluride or 2. amorphous silicon), alongside ease of installation, makes them significantly less expensive than crystalline solar panels and, as such, accessible to a wider demographic of homes and businesses.

Essentially, thin film solar cells are an attractive option for cost-conscious customers searching for renewable energy sources.

Efficiency and lifespan

Probably the biggest differences to the end user of thin film or crystalline solar panels, other than the price, are efficiency and lifespan.

Crystalline solar panels are considered to be more efficient than thin film, converting over 20% on average of the sun’s energy into electricity; able to absorb light from a vast spectrum which, in turn, allows them to operate in any daylight condition.

However, thin-film solar cells have a light-to-voltage conversion rate of approximately 10 & 12%, half that of traditional solar panels.

Alongside this, the life span of these 2 types of solar panels are very different with the average lifespan of thin-film ranging between 20-25 years where crystalline solar panels can last up to 30-35.

Realistically, it’s hard to say which solar panel option is best as it comes down to personal or professional circumstances such as budget, placement or even the local weather conditions but what we can say is that it’s great to see cost-effective option available on the market - making renewable energy sources available to a wider range of homes and businesses.