The majority of PV cells produced today use crystalline silicon (c-Si) which is a light absorbing semiconductor. Crystalline solar cells are made from silicon wafers, which in turn are made from polysilicon ingots. Crystalline cells could either be monocrystalline (made from a single silicon crystal) or polycrystalline (formed from different silicon crystals). Monocrystalline cells typically have higher efficiencies than polycrystalline cells.

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