Popular Categories
 
Why Shop With Us?
Silicon Solar provides the latest solar technologies directly to our customers. We offer a complete line of renewable energy products that exceed the highest quality standards in the industry.

Sales & Customer Service
Ph: (800) 786-0329
Fax: (800) 653-8540
M-F 9AM-5:30PM EST
Information

Not sure where to start? Browse our complete selection of our how to guide solar panel articles.

Featured Articles:
- Flexible Solar Panels
- Solar Cells
- New York Solar Panel Systems
- NYSERDA Commercial PV

Secured Service

Search our online catalog for hundreds of solar lights, solar fountains and many other products, including solar cells and solar panels. We also manufacture custom solar kits upon request for professors and educational programs.


Energy Star
Solar Home Evaluation
Sign-up today for your free solar home evaluation. We offer solar electric, wind, and solar hot water home evaluations. Simply click on the link below or call us to speak with a live representative. Calculate your Solar Hot Water and Electric Savings
FREE Solar Evaluation

Solar Panels

Silicon SolarSolar Panels

check out our complete line of solar panels including small & mini solar panels for education and testing, as well as large solar panels for homes and businesses such as grid tie solar panels and off grid solar panels

Silicon Solar Panels...

High-Efficiency, Durable & Reliable Solar Panels For Any Installation & Any Application...

DIY Solar Panel Kits
We Carry The Most Reliable, Best Performing & Most Cost-Effective Solar Panels Available Today!
Featured DIY Solar Panel Kit Featured
GridMaxx 230W Grid-Tie Solar Panel
Only $543.35

UL, IEC, CEC & FSEC Listed - Great For Residential & Commercial Grid Tie Solar Installations Of All Sizes

 
Share this with Friends! ShareThis
 
Solar Panels

Silicon Solar carries a complete line of the industry’s best, most efficient solar panels. We have solar panels for homes, commercial system solar panels, as well as complete lines of both small solar panels and large solar panels. Covering a variety of the most popular brands, our line of solar panels includes everything from 0.5W solar panels all the way up to large, 230W solar panels for grid tie solar systems – including monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar panels.

Our solar panels are perfect for a variety of applications, including; solar battery chargers, portable solar power and lighting systems, as well as large grid tie solar systems and off grid solar systems.

Our most popular solar panels include:

  • Small & mini solar panels
  • Solar panels for homes (grid tie solar panels & off grid solar panels)
  • Solar panels for businesses (grid tie solar panels & off grid solar panels)
  • 12v solar panels & 6v solar panels
  • DIY solar panel kits
  • Custom OEM solar panels
  • & more

If you are interested in a complete set of solar panels for your home or solar panels for your business, please contact a sales representative or technician today to have a system developed for you – or check out one of our complete pre-packaged grid tie solar power systems.

Check out our Visual Directory!


Information for Solar Panels Products

Photovoltaic (PV or solar) cells are made of semiconducting material which directly convert sunlight into electricity. The simplest system of photovoltaic cells power small devices such as watches and calculators. More complex systems can light houses and provide power to the electrical grid.

Crystalline silicon (c-Si) is the leading commercial material used for solar panels. The forms it is used in are:

  • Monocrystalline
  • Polycrystalline
  • Ribbon
  • Sheet
  • Thin-layer silicon

When light is absorbed by a semiconductor such as silicon, the electrons within the material increase in energy. This increase in energy causes the electrons to move within the material. However, there must be charge carriers in order for the electrons to move in a preferred direction to generate an electrical current. Charge carriers are created by doping the semiconductor, which is to say adding small amounts of impurities to change the material's electrical properties.

Silicon is an element with four valence electrons. This means that when a silicon atom bonds with other silicon atoms, they complete their valence shells by sharing all four electrons. Doping silicon involves adding small amounts of a material with three valence electrons or a material with five valence electrons. By adding a small amount of aluminum, for example, an atom with three valence electrons, covalent bonding of the aluminum to silicon creates 'holes'. A 'hole' is the absence of an electron where there would normally be one if there was no impurity bonded to silicon, which results in a p (positive) -type silicon semiconductor. Adding a small amount of an atom with five valence electrons, such as antimony, causes an opposite effect. Once antimony is bonded to other silicon atoms, there will be an extra electron that is loosely bound to antimony, which will result in a n (negative) -type silicon semiconductor. Introduction of a voltage to either type of semiconductor causes current to move in a preferred direction.

A solar panel uses a layer of p-type silicon and a layer of n-type silicon. This way, when light is absorbed and the electrons in the n-type layer increase in energy, the electrons will be able to travel from the n-type layer to the 'holes' in the p-type layer. This electrical current is what allows solar panel technology to convert light energy into electricity.

Production techniques of solar cells include the Czochralski process, float-zone method, and thin film deposition. The removal of surface impurities and defects in the silicon is of critical importance, and is addressed with techniques such as surface passivation and gettering.

Silicon based solar panels are not the only type of solar cells. Other types include solar panels that use conductive polymers or light absorbing dyes.

Request More Information Regarding Solar Panels
Can't find what you're looking for? Do you need help making your decision? Submit a question using this form below and we will contact you shortly.

Or Call our professionally trained specialist today toll-free at 1-800-786-0329.

Email*
Phone #*
Subject*
Content*
Inquiry Type
Prove you are Human: Please enter the number of days in a week
(Answer should be a single digit)

Featured Products
Affordable solar solutions
Solar Resource Center

Learn everything you need to know about Silicon Solar, solar energy, and how to get started with your own great solar energy products and projects today!

Visit The Solar Resource Center

We Ship Worldwide: New York | California | Florida | Texas | New Mexico | New Jersey | North Carolina | Beijing | United Kingdom | France | Canada
Call Us Toll-Free Today: 1.800.786.0329 | F: 1.800.653.8540 | Hours: M-F 8am - 5pm EST | Visit Our Solar Energy Store

Valued Customers
  • :: Yale University (Solar Panel Systems)
  • :: United States Army (Solar Sign Lighting)
  • :: Hoffman Air Force Base (Solar Cells)
  • :: University of Buffalo (Solar Boat Team)
  • :: Texas A&M University (Solar Car Team)
  • :: Sidney High School (Solar Hot Water)
  • :: Brookhaven National Laboratory (Small Solar Power Systems)
  • :: Kennedy Space Center (Solar Lights & Educational Kits)
  • :: Arizona Housing District (10kw Solar Panel Array, Solar Lights)
  • :: US Environmental Protection Agency (Solar Lights)
  • :: Cornell University (Small 40W Charging System)
  • :: Landscape Maintenance Services (Solar Sign Lighting)
Solar Partners
Copyright 1997 - 2010 Silicon Solar, Inc - All Rights Reserved.