What are solar panels made of?
With the world running out of energy, the focus is now on renewable energy sources. The sun is the main source of energy to this planet and research has shown us that electrical energy can be derived from the sun. The only constraint with the solar energy is the high installation cost of solar energy plant and also the feasibility of installing a solar plant of huge capacity.
Before we look at What are solar panels made of…
Solar energy is more suitable for domestic use at the present. It is more popularly used for water heaters and small lights. Some lamps are charged through the day to light the surroundings in the evenings. Solar-powered calculators have also gained popularity. Owing to its high installation cost, its presence has been limited to domestic use only.
Solar energy is generated from solar panels. Solar panels are slabs of semi-conductor metal. Technically speaking, they are a slab of silicon semi-conductor doped or added with impurities to make it a better conductor. Solar panels could also be made of Gallium Arsenide which is a semi-conductor metal exclusively used in photo-voltaic cells.
The silicon slabs are polished and glossed before doping. After processing, for protection, a thin glass layer is embossed on the solar cells slab. Silicon also is shiny and reflects about 35% of sunlight. Hence, an anti-reflective coating is usually applied over the slabs to reduce the amount of sunlight lost. Amorphous silicon solar panels are different from the traditional ones made from silicon slabs. Amorphous silicon solar cells are thinner and more efficient that the silicon ones and also the materials cost of this variety is far lesser than the traditional. Amorphous silicon slabs are developed with superior processes which makes them less susceptible to breakage during transportation. This makes them a more viable investment when it comes to buying solar panels.