The difference between 60 cell and 72 cell solar panels is simple: 72-cell panels are 12&#; taller and contain 12 more solar cells.
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There are many different types of solar panels available on the market, with options ranging in efficiency, wattage, manufacturer, appearance, and more. Panels can also vary in the number of silicon cells they have. Today, most people install either 60 or 72 cell solar panels for their installation- but what&#;s the difference between the two, and which option is best for your installation?
If that seems too obvious, I promise you: that&#;s pretty much all there is to it.
But there&#;s a reason we&#;re devoting article space to such a simple topic.
I was designing a system for a residential customer last week when she asked me, &#;I can&#;t use 72-cell panels at my house, right?&#;
For some reason, she had the impression that 72-cell panels are only for commercial use. Which couldn&#;t be further from the truth.
After some back-and-forth, I realized she had read a few articles online to help her decide which size panel to use. Turns out one of them had claimed 72-cell mono solar panels were only for commercial use, and require special hardware and extra labor to install.
None of which is remotely true.
So I wrote this article to help set the record straight.
The big myth floating around the Internet is that 72-cell solar panels are not made for residential use.
That&#;s simply not true. In fact, roughly half of all residential systems we design at Prostar Solar have 72-cell mono solar panels in them.
It&#;s true that commercial applications lean toward 72-cell panels. They require less racking rail, fewer electrical connections, and fewer clamps to secure in place. That means 72-cell panels are cheaper to install on a large scale.
But there&#;s no reason residential customers can&#;t get the same benefits from a 72-cell solar panel.
I&#;ve also read claims that 72-cell panels are harder to install. This concern is somewhat overblown.
Yes, 72-cell solar panels are a bit bigger and heavier. But it typically takes two people to move and set a solar panel in place, regardless of size. Since there&#;s usually 2-3 people on an installation crew, finding a way to move the panels isn&#;t much of an issue. Any crew worth their salt will be able to handle the larger panel size.
Though the work may be a bit more physically taxing, the install tends to take less time overall. Since the system contains less panels, you&#;ll spend less time making electrical connections and fastening clamps.
You don&#;t need to buy stronger racking to support larger panels, either. Solar panel racking is universal. The size of the panel you choose will not limit your mounting options.
While it is possible to buy a thicker rail, we only recommend that option to provide a stronger foundation in areas threatened by hurricanes, heavy snow and other extreme weather conditions.
You don&#;t need to spend more on &#;heavy duty racking&#; just to support heavier 72-cell panels (which is a very common misconception). The standard options will work just fine.
In fact, in most cases 72-cell panels will actually save you money on racking. Modules are mounted with rails running across the width of the panel. Because 72-cell panels have the same width as 60-cell panels (about 40&#; wide), they require the same amount of racking material to mount more solar power.
If the only difference between 60- and 72-cell solar panels is their size, how do you choose one over the other?
The ultimate decider is panel value, measured in cost-per-watt.
Divide the price of the panel by the rated panel output (typically 300W-400W per panel). This will give you a baseline to compare panel value, regardless of size.
Our advice is to go for the best cost-per-watt option that fits the space where you will install your system.
Here&#;s an example. If your mounting space is 35&#; wide and 10&#; tall, you can only fit a row of 10 panels. You can install more power by using 72-cell panels because you have enough space to accommodate the taller panel size.
Standard Solar Panel Sizes: 60-cell panels: 39&#; x 65&#; 72-cell panels: 39&#; x 77&#;
On the other hand, if your mounting space is 35&#; wide and only 6&#; tall, you&#;d have to use 60-cell panels.
The cost of installing 60-cell vs. 72-cell panels may also vary a bit for your installation. 72-cell solar panels tend to be cheaper to install on a large scale, which is why they&#;re more common for commercial applications. Because each panel has more solar cells, you can typically install fewer panels to generate the same amount of electricity. Fewer panels mean less racking is necessary, which helps cut down on overall equipment and installation costs.
On the other hand, 60-cell panels are lighter and easier to install which is why they&#;re more common for residential rooftop installations. This can mean lower labor costs for the installation. For large, commercial installations, the extra size and weight of a 72-cell panel aren&#;t as much of an obstacle because cranes are often used to lift the equipment to the rooftop.
When it comes down to choosing your solar panels, the number of cells included in the panel isn&#;t the most important factor. Cost, aesthetics, warranty, efficiency, and durability should all be taken into account when selecting the right solar panels for your home or business.
For cost, it&#;s a good idea to compare your 60-cell and 72-cell panel options on a cost-per-watt ($/W) basis. Similar to looking at dollars per square foot when shopping for a home, looking at $/W shows you what the cost of a turnkey solar panel installation is on a per-watt basis. Looking at this factor will allow you to standardize the price of installations using either 60-cell and 72-cell panels, especially if you&#;re comparing different system sizes.
Panels come in a variety of cell colors (dark blue, blue, black), backsheet colors (white, black) and frame colors (silver, black, and white). If aesthetics are a concern, make sure to look at an image of the panel before signing the contract, or ask your installer for photos of their past installations with the same equipment to get a feel for how they will look on your roof. If you&#;re looking for the sleekest appearance possible, there are many black-on-black panel options. You may pay more for these options, but it can be worth it.
It&#;s possible to mix and match 60-cell and 72-cell panels if necessary.
For example, let&#;s say you have a triangle-shaped roof with less space near the top. You might install a row of 72-cell panels in the middle of the roof. Then you can add smaller 60-cell panels on the sides / top to hit your target system size.
It&#;s possible to mix panel sizes like this to fit the usable space on your roof. But keep in mind that different components run on different voltages, and you&#;ll need to pair each panel with a compatible inverter.
If you build a system like this, it&#;s worthwhile to spend some time with an experienced design consultant to make sure you aren&#;t wasting power or damaging your equipment.
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When shopping for solar panels, you'll encounter two standard sizes for residential and commercial projects: 60-cell and 72-cell solar panels. Both small commercial and residential solar power systems will use one of these two types.
The apparent difference between 60-cell and 72-cell solar panels is the number of cells. 72-cell solar panels have higher wattage than 60-cell solar panels, but this doesn&#;t necessarily mean better performance.
If you&#;re deciding whether to use 60-cell panels or 72-cell panels for your solar system, there are a few things to consider. Let&#;s walk through it.
The most notable difference between 60-cell panels and 72-cell panels is size and weight.
A typical 60-cell panel is 3.5 feet wide and 5.5 feet tall. 72-cell panels are the same width but are much longer &#; 6.5 to 7 feet &#; depending on the brand.
The larger 72-cell solar modules are also heavier, weighing almost 50 pounds compared to the 60-cell modules, which are about 40 pounds.
Solar cells in a panel are typically wired in series. This means that the volts of each solar cell add up to create the total voltage output. Thus, the voltage of a 72-cell panel is higher and will output more watts than a 60-cell solar panel.
Efficiency is measured by a solar panel&#;s ability to convert sunlight into electricity. Newsflash: neither 60-cell nor 72-cell solar panels have an advantage in this department!
If you are shopping around for high-efficiency solar panels, know that they are available in both 60-cell and 72-cell variations. To learn more about the most efficient solar panels today, check out our list here.
There aren&#;t any significant variations or set rules regarding the cost of 60-cell vs. 72-cell solar panels.
When evaluating solar panels, look at the cost per watt to ensure you&#;re comparing apples-to-apples with different size panels.
There are no significant pros or cons with 60-cell vs. 72-cell solar panels. But depending on your circumstances, you may want to opt for one size over the other.
Let&#;s talk about when to choose a 60-cell vs. 72-cell solar panel for your solar power system.
If you have limited space for your solar panels, the size of your available area may dictate whether 60-cell or 72-cell panels are best for your installation.
For example, if you are installing solar panels on a roof and have a space that is 12 feet tall, you could install two rows of 60-cell panels but only one row of 72-cell panels. That means installing 60-cell panels will give you a higher wattage system.
If the available area is only 8 feet tall, you would only be able to fit one row of either 60-cell or 72-cell panels. In this case, you could opt for the 72-cell panels to get more output from the entire system.
If you&#;re installing ground-mount solar, you probably have fewer size limitations. So, most people choose 72-cell panels for ground-mount installations because you can have a higher wattage system with fewer solar panels.
Lastly, another physical consideration is the size and weight of the panels. If you are doing a DIY solar installation and won&#;t have professional help, you may want to choose 60-cell panels as they weigh less and are therefore easier to handle.
The higher voltage of 72-cell solar modules will make a difference in system design.
If you are using microinverters or DC optimizers, you will have to choose a microinverter or optimizer that can handle the higher voltage of the modules.
If you have a system with a string inverter, you will be able to wire more 60-cell panels in each string due to their lower voltage.
72-cell panels are ideal for commercial and utility-scale systems, but you can also use 72-cell panels for your residential project. There is no set rule when it comes to solar module size and project type.
Generally, you shouldn&#;t use both 60-cell and 72-cell panels for one installation. While it&#;s possible to mix and match, this can make your installation complicated with supporting equipment.
If you choose this route, ensure that you&#;re only using compatible equipment connected to the same circuit. You also have to verify that the 60-cell and 72-cell solar panels are in separate strings, connected to separate maximum power point trackers for proper performance and efficiency.
While we are discussing cell counts, we should also mention 120-cell and 144-cell solar panels, which are newer additions to the solar industry. These solar panels are made with half-cut solar cells wired into two separate string series.
A 120-cell solar panel is equivalent to a 60-cell panel in terms of physical size and power output, while a 144-cell panel has similar specifications to a 72-cell panel.
Learn more: What is a Half-Cut Solar Panel?
Because 60-cell and 72-cell panels offer the same efficiency, the best choice for you depends on what you need to accomplish for your project. 60-cell panels can be easier to carry and allow for flexible layouts in a limited space. 72-cell panels might make your installation cheaper and faster, and are more useful for ground-mount arrays or large-scale commercial projects.
If you need help picking the right panels for your project, or have any other questions about system design, reach out to us for a free PV design consultation. We'll help you customize a solar kit tailored to meet your needs.
The company is the world’s best Polycrystalline 72 Cells Solar Panel supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.