Monocrytalline solar cells
Monocrystalline solar cells are solar cells which are cut from a single piece of silicon crystal ingot.
The purity of monocrystalline silicon is extremely high and to achieve this requires great amounts of energy, which is one the main reason for the high price for solar cells along with research costs and other exotic materials.
Because of the relatively low weight of solar cells (10-20 grams for a solar cell measuring 15cm by 15 cm) the return on energy investment is between 1 and 3 years. Lifespan of a solar cell can exceed 35 years with a drop in efficiency of 10-20% after 25 years.
Because solar cells are made from crystals which are cut/sliced extremely thin 0.1 of a mm, they are very brittle and can snap with the slightest movement. Solar cells must be handled with care. It is also worth remembering that the cells might have elements coated on the top and bottom such as silver and aluminum which can react with sweat so ideally solar cells should be handled with the rubber gloves.
