Control panel is a flat, often vertical area where control or monitoring instruments are displayed or it is an enclosed unit that is the part of a system that users can access, as the control panel of a security system (also called control unit).

In the solar system , they are used to monitor and control immediate current, voltage, power and accumulated electric power. Older control panels are  often equipped with push buttons and analog instruments, whereas nowadays in many cases touchscreens are used for monitoring and control purposes.