Manufacturing of solar panels

Manufacturing solar panels in an industrial environment

A photovoltaic cell that generates electricity when exposed to sunlight is essentially a semiconductor. Practice has shown that silicon modules have the highest efficiency.

Actual site - https://howlongdosolarpanelslast.com

A photovoltaic cell that generates electricity when exposed to sunlight is essentially a semiconductor. Practice has shown that silicon modules have the highest efficiency.

In nature, this chemical element is ubiquitous and abundant. But for the manufacture of photographic plates, the original material in its original form is not suitable. A huge amount of impurities will reduce the efficiency to zero.

For the production of photovoltaic modules, the silicon raw material must be purified. For this, two basic technologies have been developed:

·         growing single crystals;

·         deposition of a polycrystalline film.

Both technologies have received commercial development.

Monocrystalline silicon solar panels

The feedstock is melted at a temperature of about 1450 ° C. A seed crystal is placed in the melt, which becomes the center of the monolithic structure. When a solid crystal reaches a sufficient technological size, it dissolves into thin plates. They become the basis of the future solar battery.

In this way, the most homogeneous and cleanest workpieces are obtained. Their efficiency in the finished module is maximum. But the cost of production in this case is also the maximum.

Monocrystal panels are black and have rounded cell edges.

Polycrystalline silicon solar panels

This technology is simpler and therefore significantly cheaper. Raw materials are also melted, but vapors are already used. They are cooled, as a result of which they condense and deposit in the form of thin plates. The structure turns out to be inhomogeneous and contains a certain amount of impurities.

Reasonably pure polycrystalline solar panels show quite decent performance at a low price. The main problem is that low-quality products degrade quickly. If you decide to choose this option, carefully study the manufacturer's track record.

Externally, solar panels made of polycrystals are distinguished by a blue color and clear corners of individual cells.

Ways to Improve the Efficiency of Silicon Solar Panels

To improve functions, films of other elements are applied to the silicon base - arsenium, gallium, copper, cadmium, selenium, tellurium. The multi-layer structure improves durability and weather resistance while maintaining the same battery performance. The back side of the wafers is protected by amorphous silicon.

The solar module is made of an array of elements that are connected in series and in parallel through Schottky diodes. The purpose of the diodes is to cut off the shaded modules while maintaining the overall performance of the solar battery.