When you’re considering whether to get solar panels, it’s a good idea to look into all the different types, to ensure you choose the best system for your home.

In this guide, we’ll run through all the main types of solar panels, their advantages and disadvantages, and which panels make the most sense for different purposes.

We’ll also take a look at new and developing solar panel technology, and explain which type of panel is the best overall.

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How many types of solar panel are there?

The six main types of solar panels are polycrystalline, monocrystalline, thin-film, transparent, solar tiles, and perovskite.

Polycrystalline solar panels

• 13-16% efficiency
• Lifespan of 25-30 years

Polycrystalline solar panels are one of the oldest types of solar panel in existence.

These blue panels, with cells that are made by melting multiple silicon crystals and combining them in a square mould, are less efficient, less aesthetically pleasing, and less long-lasting than black monocrystalline panels.

And though they’re technically cheaper, this comes with a large drawback: they take up far more space.

Polycrystalline panels are 31% less efficient than monocrystalline panels, on average, which means, to achieve a certain level of output, you'll need a higher number of polycrystalline panels than you would monocrystalline panels.

When considering the lifetime cost of solar panels, it’s almost always better to cover your roof with as many panels as you can, to generate the most electricity possible – and polycrystalline panels won’t get the best out of your roof space.

Pros and cons of polycrystalline solar panels

Monocrystalline solar panels

• 18-24% efficiency
• Lifespan of 25-40 years

Monocrystalline solar panels are the most efficient type of solar panel currently on the market.

The top monocrystalline panels now all come with 22% efficiency or higher, and manufacturers are continually raising this bar.

These sleek, black panels are made from single-crystal silicon – hence their name and dark appearance – and treated with anti-reflective coating that removes their grey undertones, making them look even darker.

They also have a longer lifespan than any other type, on average, often outlasting their already lengthy performance warranties, which can stretch to 30 years.

Monocrystalline is currently the most cutting-edge solar material, too – bifacial solar panels are usually made with monocrystalline, for instance.

Pros and cons of monocrystalline solar panels

Thin-film solar panels

• 7-13% efficiency
• Lifespan of 10-20 years

Thin-film solar panels are flexible sheets that can wrap around objects, making them perfect for properties with a limited amount of unobstructed roof space, or mobile homes like recreation vehicles and houseboats.

They’re thousands of times thinner than the average monocrystalline panel, which gives them their malleable nature.

Manufacturers create them by stacking several layers of solar material, like amorphous silicon, cadmium telluride, and copper indium gallium selenide. 

Depending on which combination of materials they use, the end product’s efficiency rating can be anywhere from 7% to 13%.

This is substantially lower than most other types of solar panels, though this fact is usually reflected in their relatively low prices.

However, since demand isn’t particularly high for thin-film panels, the amount you pay will mostly come down to who your local supplier is.

Pros and cons of thin-film solar panels

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Transparent solar panels

• 1-10% efficiency
• Lifespan of 25-35 years

If they reach their final form, transparent solar panels will be fully see-through sheets of solar material, mostly made of glass, that replace windows, roofs, and phone screens all over the world.

Right now, they’re behind other models in the industry.

These potentially ground-breaking creations are 30-40% transparent and severely lacking on the efficiency front, where they’re typically around five times worse than monocrystalline panels.

A handful of locations around the UK have used them, such as Gloucestershire County's Council Hall, Bournemouth University, and the Barbican Theatre in London, but unless their efficiency rises dramatically, they won’t be suitable for domestic properties.

Instead, they’re better used on large office blocks or even skyscrapers, where the sheer number of windows they can replace will produce enormous energy savings.

Pros and cons of transparent solar panels

Solar tiles

• 10-20% efficiency
• Lifespan of 25-30 years

Solar tiles produce electricity in the same way as monocrystalline or polycrystalline panels, but they’re built to replace all your roof tiles.

For people who are worried that panels will look unsightly on their roof, or who are struggling to get planning permission in a listed building or conservation area, solar tiles might be a solution – but they come at a price.

The process of replacing every tile with a solar one is typically around 50% more expensive than a monocrystalline solar panel system, roughly 30% less efficient, and takes about three times longer.

They should last 25-30 years, which is decent, but since they were only introduced to the UK market in the decade or so, there are no guarantees.

Pros and cons of solar tiles

• Up to 25% efficiency
• Lifespan of 25-35 years

These panels are at the forefront of solar innovation.

They’re made with perovskite, a synthetic material based on the crystal structure of a mineral that’s (confusingly) also called perovskite.

A layer of this material is placed on a layer of silicon to create a ‘tandem’ panel – the advantage being that silicon can absorb light from the red part of the spectrum, and perovskite can absorb light from the blue end.

The results so far have been extremely exciting. In 2023, researchers at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia created a perovskite-silicon cell with a record-breaking 33.7% efficiency.

And in January 2024, the UK’s Oxford PV broke the record for an entire panel with a model that has a 25% efficiency rating.

These panels aren’t currently commercially available though, and if they do arrive on the market, they’ll likely be very expensive.

To learn more, check out our full guide to perovskite solar panels.

Pros and cons of perovskite solar panels

What’s the best type of solar panel?

The best type of solar panel is monocrystalline.

They’re more efficient than any other panel currently on the market, meaning you’ll be making the best use of your roof space.

And they have longer lifespans than all their competitors, which boosts their return on investment beyond that of polycrystalline panels or solar tiles.

At some point in the next few years, perovskite panels may take over as the best type, but first they have to become widely available – and cheap enough to be worth the investment.

What’s the best type of solar panel for you?

The best type of solar panel for the majority of households is monocrystalline, as they’re the most efficient, long-lasting, and cost-effective panel available right now.

However, if you live in a listed building or conservation area and can’t get planning permission for on-roof panels, solar tiles may be the answer – but they’re much more expensive.

If you’re looking to put solar panels on a mobile home instead of a house, you’ll probably want to go with thin-film panels, which suit the less flat and sturdy roofs of caravans, houseboats, and recreational vehicles.

New types of solar panels

There are multiple types of solar panels that could revolutionise the market.

Here are the most intriguing examples:

• Quantum dot solar cells
• Zombie solar cells
• Organic photovoltaics

Quantum dot solar cells

Quantum dots are tiny balls made from semiconducting nanocrystals that could replace all the relatively bulkier semiconducting material that goes into modern solar panels.

They’re also known as artificial atoms because of their size, which is just a few nanometres – or roughly 338 million times smaller than the average Brit.

These nanoscopic dots absorb much more of the light the sun sends – including ultraviolet light – which could massively expand a solar panel’s efficiency, all the way up to 66%.

As a result, they could be the driving force behind considerably lighter, more effective solar technology at some point in the future. Currently, the efficiency record of a quantum dot solar cell is 18.1% – so there’s a way to go.

Zombie solar cells

Zombie solar cells came from the realisation that a burgeoning solar technology called dye-sensitised solar cells can continue functioning after their assumed death – and even better than they did before.

Normally, these cells use a dye compound that absorbs light and sends electrons to be gathered by a liquid electrolyte and turned into electric current.

But when scientists replaced the liquid electrolyte with a dry version, it produced more electricity, to the extent that zombie cells have reached 30-34% efficiency.

Smart zombie solar cells are also in development, which can absorb indoor light and turn it into electricity.

Organic photovoltaics

Organic solar cells generate electricity in the same way as standard panels, but they use organic semiconductors instead of silicon.

Panels using this organic material, which usually consists of carbon-based polymers, have reached 19.3% efficiency so far, but are still near the start of their development process.

Using organic semiconductors would make panels lighter, more flexible, able to absorb a larger part of the electromagnetic light spectrum, and more sustainable.

Solar panel types: FAQs