Most rooftop solar panels are black or blue. This isn’t because solar panel manufacturers think these are the most stylish colors for homes across the nation.
While there are a growing number of options for solar tiles, solar shingles, and colored solar panels, there are still cost and efficiency reasons why most home solar panels are black. If you’re going solar, the aesthetics of your home and roof may be a consideration. Knowing your options and a little more of the tech behind solar power may help.
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Do Solar Panels Come in Different Colors?
The short answer is: Yes, residential solar panels are available in a variety of colors.
The long answer is more complicated. In general, colored panels are more expensive and generate less power. As a result, they’re often made by smaller, specialty manufacturers. Currently, if a commercial solar panel manufacturer wants to make solar panel colors other than blue and black, they have to use dyes or coatings, which make the panels less efficient.
Solar installers are also less willing to purchase these panels. Most customers choose solar to lower their energy costs, so they don’t want fancy solar panels that cost more and work less effectively.
Thus, it’s cost-prohibitive for a solar energy company to make colored solar panels available just in case a single customer wants them. Additionally, it saves the company money to only purchase one or two types of solar panels from their preferred solar manufacturer, as they can pay less by buying in bulk.
Why Are Most Solar Panels Black and Blue?
You may be surprised to learn the color of solar panels is not just an aesthetic choice by the manufacturers. Solar panels are black and blue because those are the natural colors that silicon becomes during the manufacturing process. There are two primary kinds of solar panels commercially available: monocrystalline and polycrystalline.
Monocrystalline solar panels are black
Monocrystalline solar cells are made out of silicon where each solar cell is a single crystal. This makes them considerably more efficient, especially since black is more light-absorbent than blue. As costs come down across the industry, most solar panel installations use black monocrystalline panels because people want the increased efficiency they provide. Nearly all residential solar panels installed today are black, monocrystalline models.
Polycrystalline solar panels are blue
Blue solar panels are made from polycrystalline silicon where a single cell contains several silicon crystals, and the way those crystals interact with sunlight makes them appear blue. The multiple crystals slow conduction, resulting in blue polycrystalline solar cells being less efficient in generating electricity. Polycrystalline technology used to be cheaper than monocrystalline, which is why you are more likely to see blue panels in older installations.
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Can Solar Panels Be Different Colors?
We mentioned dyes and coatings earlier, and they can be used to change the color of solar panels. However, dyes and coatings also dramatically reduce panel efficiency. In fact, colored solar panels created with this method are as much as 45% less efficient than the standard blue or black solar panels. That can slow down any return on investment you experience with your solar PV system, especially since these panels are more expensive to begin with.
However, a variety of new technologies are being experimented with to create more efficient colored panels, and a wider range of colors to suit more environments, color schemes, and aesthetics.
For example, researchers in the Netherlands have developed a soft-print lithography technique that allows panels to reflect a specific color. Unfortunately, this still reduces efficiency, but only by about 10% compared to the 45% of other coating methods. With continued improvement, they aim to reduce that loss in efficiency to as little as 2%.
So, while we don't have solar panels in all the colors of the rainbow available yet, the technology is definitely being worked on.
Does the Tesla Solar Roof Offer Colored Solar Panels?
In 2017, Tesla announced it would release four styles of Solar Roof, which would basically be photovoltaic panels designed to look like regular roof tiles. The advertised options were smooth glass, textured glass, French slate, and Tuscan. This quickly led to rumors that Tesla had cracked the code for creating efficient colored solar panels, and homeowners assumed they’d soon be able to order solar panels in a wide variety of colors and styles to match their roof type.
However, the Tesla Solar Roof tiles that made it to market are currently available only in blue, dark blue, and black and lack the texture and shapes that Elon Musk originally promised. Tesla doesn't mention solar roof tiles in other colors or textures or future availability, and its solar panels are black.
As the technology improves, it’s possible Tesla will start offering solar roof tiles in other colors. However, solar roofs still have some aesthetic advantages for those who can afford the higher price tag.
Can You Get Colored Solar Panels?
Yes, you have options for installing colored solar panels on your roof. However, the current commercially available technology is significantly less efficient and more expensive than black or blue solar panels, and you’ll likely need to work with a specialized installer to get them ordered and installed.
Dyes and coatings don't handle tough conditions well, so it’s likely colored panels could lose their vibrancy over a panel’s 25-year lifespan. Thus, this aesthetic improvement isn’t worth the lost efficiency and greater cost for the average homeowner.
Most solar panels are black or blue as a result of how the silicon is created during the manufacturing process. Moreover, manufacturers, installers, and the majority of customers are focused on efficiency, so installers are often reluctant to work with the current version of colored solar panels because of the lower efficiency issues and higher costs. You’d need to find an installer willing to work with you at the design phase to create a PV system that uses those lower-efficiency panels and still creates the most power possible. Technology is improving all the time.
If you’re ready to install a solar power system on your home and start saving money, talk to Palmetto today..Get started with our free solar design tool and see how much you could lower your electricity bill by choosing solar energy.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can you get colored solar panels?
You can get colored solar panels in custom colors other than black or blue. You are likely to pay more and get panels that are less efficient by getting panels other than black or blue.
What color of solar panel is the best?
Black solar panels are typically the best for home roof solar panels. Black panels have, the best energy generation efficiency and are the best value considering the upfront cost and efficiency in the long run.
Why are most solar panels black?
Black monocrystalline solar panels have the best efficiency and are the most cost-effective to manufacture in large quantities. Black is also more light-absorbent than blue.
Andrew GiermakWriter and EditorAndrew joined Palmetto in Charlotte in August 2024. He’s been a writer in journalism, then in business, going back to almost the 20th century. He’s lived in Indiana, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Virginia again, and now North Carolina for the last 12 years. He likes golf. Is he good at it? Not so much.
