Just need to correct you there Bassyabbie, thin film technology is newer technology than mono-crystalline. I did my honours thesis on it in 1986 (amorphous silicon) and it was un-commercialised then. Mono-crystalline cells have been around for ages, since the space race. I think poly-crystalline came next after mono cells. The thing about thin film technology is it is cheaper to manufacture but the cells are less efficient (although I hear they perform better in lower/diffuse light levels), so that's where you lose out - you need a greater area of panels to generate the same power.
I've just got poly panels installed on the weekend and they come with a good rap. I also got a transformer type inverter but that was because I can only fit 1.4 kW of panels on my north facing roof and there is a dearth of solid state/transformless inverters that operate under 2kW, so I went with the SMA Sunny Boy, a reliable brand and the market leader. I didn't want to get an el cheapo inverter that was going to fall apart in a year or two. Plus I got a good deal on all of the above so I couldn't refuse.
