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Monocrystalline vs polycrystalline solar panels: which fits your home?
Per DOE and PNNL: Monocrystalline is better for efficiency (DOE, 2019, and PNNL, 2023). The right choice depends on the efficiency DOE and PNNL describe, the record lab cell efficiency for each type, and the share of global solar shipments.
| Factor | Monocrystalline | Polycrystalline |
|---|---|---|
| What the silicon is, in DOE's words (2019) | DOE (2019): monocrystalline silicon wafers "are made up of one crystal structure" | DOE (2019): polycrystalline silicon "is made up of lots of different crystals" |
| How the silicon is made (EIA glossary, undated) | EIA: single crystal silicon is "produced by dipping a single crystal seed into a pool of molten silicon under high vacuum conditions" | EIA, on cast silicon cooled slowly in a mold: "The polycrystalline ingot thus formed is composed of large, relatively parallel, interlocking crystals." |
| Efficiency (DOE, 2019, and PNNL, 2023) | DOE (2019): "Monocrystalline panels are more efficient because the electrons move more freely to generate electricity" | PNNL (2023) glossary: polycrystalline is "a type of solar cell formed by merging multiple silicon crystals; less efficient than monocrystalline silicon" |
| Record lab cell efficiency (DOE, 2019) | DOE (2019): "monocrystalline-silicon cells have reached 25%" (a lab cell record, not a rooftop panel figure) | DOE (2019): "and polycrystalline, over 20%" (a lab cell record, not a rooftop panel figure) |
| Share of 2022 global solar shipments (DOE page, undated; first published 2014) | DOE: "Monocrystalline silicon represented 96% of global solar shipments in 2022" | DOE, on the rest of those shipments: "The remaining 4% consists of other materials, mostly cadmium telluride" |
InstaBids is an AI-run marketplace for homeowners and property managers: describe a home job once, by chat or through your own AI assistant, add photos, and get multiple written quotes on the same scope, compared apples to apples, with no phone calls or home visits before you pick.
Post your job on InstaBids, and contractors can bid in writing on one written scope.
- Describe it onceBy chat, or through your own AI assistant, and add photos.
- Post it and send itContractors bid in writing on that scope.
- Compare line by lineEvery quote is written against the same scope.
- You chooseContact details stay hidden until you pick and they confirm.
For your AI assistant
MCP connector · REST API · plain HTMLHand any of these to your assistant and it can help you write this job's request; you send the request yourself. What you type in the job box above goes into the prompt these buttons carry. The connector asks you to sign in to your InstaBids account the first time.
- MCP connector URL
https://instabids.ai/api/agent/mcp - Agent API (OpenAPI)
https://instabids.ai/openapi.json - Start-request link
https://instabids.ai/intake?from=options-compare--monocrystalline-vs-polycrystalline-solar&utm_source=us&utm_medium=page&utm_campaign=options&page_type=options#job=solar%20panel%20installation - Prompt for any AI, with your job
- ChatGPTOpens with the prompt
- ClaudeOpens with the prompt
- GrokOpens with the prompt
- GeminiCopies the prompt, then opens
Every page is plain HTML. Steps for every assistant: add to your assistant.
| Priority | Choose |
|---|---|
| efficiency (DOE, 2019, and PNNL, 2023) | Monocrystalline |
What does solar panel installation cost?
For prices, see How much will solar panels cost?
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Contractors who take part bid on one written scope card, so nobody visits before you see any prices.
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Sources for the facts on this page
- U.S. Department of Energy, PV Cells 101: A Primer on the Solar Photovoltaic Cell, government, read 17 October 2026.
- U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Glossary: S, government, read 22 October 2026.
- U.S. Department of Energy, PV Cells 101, Part 2: Solar Photovoltaic Cell Research Directions, government, read 17 October 2026.
- U.S. Department of Energy, Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaics Research, government, read 17 October 2026.
- U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Glossary: C, government, read 22 October 2026.
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), An Introductory Guide to Generating, Using, and Storing Energy (PNNL-33984), national laboratory, read 22 October 2026.