Solar Energy ArticlesSuntech Power Introduces Cheaper and Better Solar Panels With so much research and development going into the solar panels by the day, the solar panels that are being outcomes of the technology are being more and more competitive than other. In this article, we are going to see how a solar panel manufacturer from China, Suntech Power has introduced cheaper solar panels that are a step ahead in technology compared to other available in the marketplaces. The solar panels that are made by Chinese manufacturer of solar panels, Suntech Power are based upon the new casting process incorporating the usage of silicon wafer. The cells are known by the manufacturers to be the smarter squares inside the panels. They are made up of half monocrystalline and other half as multicrystalline. The multicrystalline areas are variegated whereas the monocrystalline ones are dark areas of the cells. The usage of the solar panel modules based upon half monocrystalline and half multicrystalline makes the achievement of better efficiency by 10 to 20 percent. The best part is that the cost of production of solar panels by incorporating the different sets of crystals is almost the same as the ones that are used in the single crystal of silicon with best efficiency. The cost of wafer fabrication is only half as much as the cost of the solar power that is derived out of it. The important thing that is to be noted here is that the idea that lies beneath this fabrication process of the silicon wafer was patented and kept since as long as 20 years. It is definitely not the idea that Suntech Power had come up with. There are many companies in conjunction to Suntech power viz. JA Solar, JDK Solar, Renesola etc. which came up with this patented technology implementation. The company has already been on the verge of starting the sales of the solar panels that are made using this manufacturing process. This news might be a little of hindrance to the solar power companies who have based their solar cells on the thin-film solar technology. In theoretical terms, thin film solar panels are much cheaper than the implementations of solar panels through the above described technology. But the Chinese manufacturers are a little difficult in order to compete with their constantly reducing cost and thereby smarter processes of manufacturing the solar panels. The ordinary processes that make crystalline silicon solar panels have a process to be followed in which there is heat to be imparted to the silicon which is more than 1400 C. This heat is higher than the melting point of silicon. Then the seed crystal is dipped into the melt. This requires a lot of energy consumption as well as the slow rate of production which makes the process so much expensive. In multicrystalline silicon, there is no need for the silicon to be kept hot. This saves a lot of time as well as money for the manufacturers of solar panels. Suntech Solar is one such manufacturer of solar panels. The manufacturing process adapted by the Suntech Power for the solar panels is going to be adapted by other companies of the world due to the efficiency in terms of cost as well as the convenience of the various manufacturing techniques offered by this company to the technological contribution in solar panels. The basic principle is no longer under patent. Many companies are able to come up with their own tweaks for making solar panels using the basic principle that is described above. Truly, Suntech Power has revolutionized the technology behind the manufacturing of cost effective solar panels. Related articles
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