![\"Monocrystalline](\"https:\/\/energio.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Mono-Si.png\")
<\/p>\nThe world of solar panels is a veritable jungle of technical terms that can be impossible for someone looking to buy a system to understand without wading through pages and pages of technical articles. The hardest part is choosing which technical solution is worth getting. <\/p>\n
We made this easy and gathered the core of the different solutions, as well as the pros and cons, into an easy-to-understand whole.<\/p>\n
Or monocrystalline versus polycrystalline cell. The cells of the panels are made of either monocrystalline silicon or polycrystalline silicon. Almost all panels on the Finnish market are currently monocrystalline, so in that sense this choice is easy. In short, polycrystalline are cheaper to manufacture than monocrystalline, they have a lower efficiency and their hue is clearly blue. <\/p>\n
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Currently, there are two main types of monocrystalline cells on the market, namely P-type and N-type cells. The P-type cell is the dominant cell type in the industry, the popularity of which is due to its historically easier manufacturing method, which developed by leaps and bounds together with space technology, when functional power sources were needed for space stations and satellites. The N-type cell, on the other hand, is an emerging technology in the industry. <\/p>\n
Simply put, the difference between these is the order of the positively and negatively charged layers and the substance with which the negative or positive charge is created. In a P-type cell, the positive charge is created using boron, and in an N-type cell, the negative charge is created using phosphorus. <\/p>\n
The choice of material has practical significance. In the conditions of space, for which the P-type cell was originally developed, there is no oxygen, unlike on Earth’s crust. Boron reacts with oxygen, causing the LID phenomenon (Light-Induced Degradation), in which the panel’s efficiency drops by up to 5-10% during the first years of operation. <\/p>\n
The phosphor used in N-type cells does not have a similar “weakness”, meaning that the panel’s power declines less over time. <\/p>\n
![\"Structure](\"https:\/\/energio.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/structure-P-type-N-type-solar-cell.png\")
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P-type cell<\/strong><\/p>\n N-type cell<\/strong><\/p>\n In addition to the type of cells, a number of other technological solutions affect the performance of the panels. Both P-type and N-type cells can be manufactured as so-called conventional cells, PERC cells or TOPCon cells. <\/p>\n PERC – Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell<\/strong><\/p>\n PERC solar cells have a passivation layer on the back of the cell, which helps minimize losses and increase light absorption by reflecting light passing through the cell back into the silicon, thereby improving the efficiency of the panel. PERC is a relatively new technology in panels. <\/p>\n Compared to conventional sun protection<\/p>\n TOPCon – Tunnel oxide passivated contact<\/strong><\/p>\n TOPCon solar cells have an oxide layer that acts as a passivator and is layered into the cell structure. This solution improves the efficiency of the cells more compared to conventional cells than PERC technology. TOPCon technology is a relatively new technology in the world of panels. <\/p>\n TOPCon cells:<\/p>\n The biggest technological difference in the panels we offer is related to the cell cutting and connection technology. There are four different types of these available: <\/p>\n Let’s start with the cutting of the cells: <\/p>\n Cutting into smaller parts provides numerous advantages, for example in terms of the mechanical durability of the panel. More on these later. <\/p>\n Let’s first look at the connection of cells in the panel: <\/p>\n The image below shows the connection differences between Ful Cell, Half-cut and Shingle panels.<\/p>\n This has a significant impact on the panel’s performance in shadows as any shadowing affects a significantly smaller part of the panel. <\/p>\n As can be seen from the graph, the effect is significant. <\/p>\n Another major difference between Full Cell, Half-cut, Shingle and ABC constructions is the connection between the cells. There are several differences, but roughly speaking: In Full Cell and Half-cut technology, the cells are soldered together, and in Shingle technology, the cells are connected along the entire cut side with a flexible adhesive. In ABC technology, a grid is made behind the cells that connects the cells together. <\/p>\n In practice, the ability of Shingle technology creates a flexible structure that can bend under snow loads without the structure starting to microcrack. <\/p>\n Shingle technology also provides numerous other advantages (such as half-cut technology compared to conventional panels). A real in-depth look at the topic can be found here.<\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n One of the world’s largest cell manufacturers, Aiko, has patented a technology where each cell operates as a separate unit. Aiko calls these panels ABC (All Back Conduct) panels with “Partial Shading Optimisation”. Aiko only offers these technologies in its own panels. <\/p>\n In addition to optimizing shading at the cell level, these panels perform significantly better in shading than half-cut and Shingle panels. The video below shows this very well in practice. The TOPCon Half-cut panel is used as a comparison. <\/p>\n\n
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Perc vs TOPCon<\/h2>\n
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![\"TOPCon,](\"https:\/\/energio.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/TOPCon-cell-Technology.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\nFull Cell vs Half-cut vs Shingled vs ABC<\/h2>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/energio.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/modulescircuits-1024x531_1024x1024.png\")
<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/energio.fi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/shadedareas-1024x685_1024x1024.png\")
<\/div>\nABC technology – The best technology in shading<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/sDMGgAHkAoc\/mqdefault.jpg\")