N-Type VS. P-Type Solar Panels: Which One Should You ...

Apart from slight changes in their construction, both n-type and p-type solar panels are becoming popular options for homeowners throughout the nation. It&#;s important to understand the differences in their performance, durability, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness to help you make a better-informed decision about which one is perfect for your solar energy system.

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When it comes to performance and efficiency, the N-type solar panels do stand out slightly against the p-type solar panels. N-type solar panels have an efficiency level of 25.7% as compared to 23.6% of P-type panels. A known defect of the p-type panel is its light-induced degradation. 

P-type panels are dipped in boron, which will interact with oxygen in the air and decrease a panel&#;s performance by up to 10% over time. With p-type panels initially constructed for space use where there is a lack of oxygen, this wasn&#;t initially a problem. However, when using these panels for residential use here on earth, they can be slightly less effective than n-type panels.

When comparing overall lifespan, n-type solar panels do have a longer lifespan than p-type solar panels due to their construction. However, when it comes to price, p-type dominates n-type setups.

This is simply due to the fact that p-type solar panels have been around for much longer, and there is more production technology out there to produce these p-type panels at a cheaper cost than n-type panels.

When acquiring new solar panels, customers consider aspects like power output, efficiency, aesthetics, and even solar cell technology like Interdigitated Back Contact (IBC) or Passivated Emitter and Rear Contact (PERC), but few pay attention to the inner layers of the cell that constitutes an N-type or P-type solar panel.

The aforementioned aspects are quite important, but choosing a photovoltaic (PV) module featuring a P-type solar cell or an N-type solar cell, can make the difference in the performance and lifespan of the module. In this article, we will explain to you the structure of both types of solar cells, how they work, the differences and advantages of N-type and P-type solar panels, and other interesting details.

Overview: Inner structure of solar panels and how they work

The most knowledgeable photovoltaic enthusiast might know a thing or two about the structural design and operation of solar cells, including facts like their structure, materials, and others.

While this is the case, it is always important to go through an overview of the subject before diving into the structural differences that make a P-type solar panel and an N-type solar panel.

Materials and structure of a solar cell

The materials and structure of a solar cell, vary slightly depending on the technology used to manufacture the cell. Traditional cells feature Aluminum Back Surface Field (Al-BSF), but there are newer technologies in the market including PERC, IBC, and bifacial technology. Understanding the traditional technology provides you with enough background to understand the differences between P-type and N-type solar cells.

Structure of Al-BSF c-Si Solar Cell | Source: Adapted from SinoVoltaics

Solar cells are structured with a P-N junction, featuring a P-type crystalline silicon (c-Si) wafer with additional holes (positively charged) and an N-type c-Si wafer with additional electrons (negatively charged). The order for the P-type and the N-type wafer varies, with the upper and thinner layer being the emitter, and the lower and thicker layer being the bulk region.

P-type c-Si wafers are made by doping high-purity c-Si with boron, which is a material featuring fewer electrons, producing positively charged wafers. Similarly, an N-type c-Si wafer is doped with phosphorous, which is a material featuring additional free electrons and therefore negatively charges the wafer. These layers placed one on top of another, create an internal electric field.

Al-BSF solar cells feature an Aluminum Back Surface Field and a full area of aluminum for the rear contacts and silver strips made from printed silver paste for the front contacts. A dielectric passivation layer is also coated on top of the emitter to prevent corrosion in the absorber layer of the cell.

How do solar cells generate power? Understanding the photovoltaic effect

After understanding how traditional solar cells are made, it is important to understand how they work. Solar cells produce power under the photovoltaic effect. This is a phenomenon where photons reaching the cell, excite electrons in the N-type semiconductor layer, ejecting them from the absorber layer as they form an electron-hole pair.

Photovoltaic Effect | Source: EIA

Excited electrons are collected at the negative terminal of the solar cell, flowing through the closed circuit, and finally returning through the positive terminal to recombine with a hole, ending that particular electron-hole pair. As electrons flow through the closed circuit, they generate an electric current that powers the load.

The explained photovoltaic effect is responsible for generating solar power in photovoltaic technology. This is a constant process happening as solar panels are exposed to the right amount of solar radiation.

N-type vs. P-type solar panels: What&#;s the difference and what&#;s better for you?

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Most P-type and N-type solar cells are the same, featuring slight and very subtle manufacturing differences for N-type and P-type solar panels. In this section, you will learn about the difference between these two, why P-type solar panels became the norm in the industry and the advantages of N-type solar panels.

Structure difference between P-type & N-type solar panels

In the overview section, we explained that the absorber layer of the solar cell, features an N-type and a P-type c-Si wafer, with a varying order for the layers. One of the layers is called the bulk region and it is thicker than the emitter, which is placed on top of the bulk region. The variation in which wafers are placed is what makes the solar cell to be an N-type solar cell or a P-type solar cell.

To summarize, the main aspect that makes P-type and N-type solar cells different is the doping used for the bulk region and for the emitter. When phosphorous is used to negatively dope the bulk region this creates an N-type solar cell, meanwhile when boron is used to positively dope the crystalline silicon in the bulk region, this makes a P-type solar panel.

How did P-type solar panels become the norm in the solar industry?

When photovoltaics were been researched back in the 50s, manufacturing costs were extremely high, but this was not a limitation for space applications requiring a viable power source in space, where there were no other ways to generate power for a spacecraft like the Vanguard 1, the first satellite featuring solar panels in space.

As space applications became a priority, P-type solar panels featuring a high resistance to radiation and degradation in space, became an interest. A large number of resources were used in space photovoltaic application technology back in the 50s. The solar industry just kept the momentum going, using this well-researched technology by lowering prices to produce better P-type solar panels for terrestrial applications. This is why this technology became the norm for the industry.

Advantages and rising popularity of N-type solar panels

Even though P-type solar panels have been the norm for years, this technology has its flaws, especially for terrestrial applications. Boron is used for doping P-type solar panels, but they cause a problem known as a boron-oxygen defect (not a problem in space where there is no oxygen). This defect produces a high amount of Light-Induced Degradation (LID) in P-type solar panels, reducing their performance by up to 10% in some cases.

N-type solar panels doped with phosphorous instead of boron, are completely immune to the boron-oxygen defect that would otherwise reduce its performance. Since there is no LID, there is no fast-paced performance degradation as with P-type solar panels. N-type solar panels also feature a higher conversion efficiency over their lifespan, turning them into a better investment.

Since N-type solar panels have so many advantages, some manufacturers and customers opt to ignore the higher N-type solar panels price to produce modules, which is minimum in comparison to the performance advantages of the technology against P-type solar panels. This technology can also be combined with other technologies to produce N-type IBC solar panels and PERC modules.

Benefits & advantages of N-type and P-type solar panels

Understanding structural differences between N-type and P-type solar panels can shine some light on the benefits and advantages of each technology. To further explain these, we have compared N-type vs. P-type solar panels in the table below.

N-Type Solar PanelP-Type Solar PanelLID Due to Manufacturing DefectsNo LID caused by manufacturing defectsUp to 10% performance reduction caused by LID due to boron-oxygen defectSolar Panel Efficiency25.7%23.6%Manufacturing CostSlightly higher production costStandard costProduct Warranty120 years warranty12 years warrantyPower Degradation Warranty30 years warranty25 years warranty

1Warranties vary between manufacturers.

The main advantage of N-type vs. P-type solar panels is the lack of a boron-oxygen defect reducing the performance of the module by up to 10% in just a few weeks, which is caused by the LID. N-type solar panels are immune to this phenomenon and only suffer from regular degradation over the years.

Since holes are minority carriers in bulk regions for N-type solar panels, there is less of a window for the recombination process to occur, causing modules to feature higher efficiencies. N-type solar panels currently have achieved an efficiency of 25.7% and have the potential to keep on increasing, while P-type solar panels have only achieved an efficiency of 23.6%.

Manufacturing costs represent one of the few disadvantages of N-type solar panels. P-type solar panels are a highly developed technology with matured mass manufacturing, which reduces its cost. Manufacturing processes for N-type solar panels are quite similar, but some different steps in the manufacturing process cause a higher cost for these modules in the present.

Last but not least, the warranty for N-type solar panels truly proves that the technology is better and can be backed up for a longer time by the manufacturer. These modules feature a 20-year warranty for the product and a 30-year warranty for the performance, while many P-type solar panels are only backed with a 12-year warranty for the product and a 25-year warranty for the performance.

N-type solar panels: Present and future

The N-type solar panel is a highly valuable technology that is becoming widely popular in the present. The development of this technology will most likely keep on growing in the near and distant future.

The conversion efficiency of N-type solar panels is one of the features where this technology is growing, having its record broken three times in less than a year. The first time was Jinko Solar which broke the record in the last quarter of , featuring an efficiency of 25.4%, the second one was Trina Solar in the first quarter of with an efficiency of 25.5%, and the third one was Jinko Solar again in the second quarter of , setting a record efficiency of 25.7%.

Solar cell wafer materials market share | Source: ITRPV ()

As N-type solar panels become a more attractive option, their market share will keep on growing in the future. In , the market share for N-type solar panels oscillated between 5% and 10%, with a growing expectancy to around 20% in . As popularity keeps on rising, N-type solar panels will hold more than 70% of the market by , probably leaving P-type modules with less than 30% of the market.

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