Why silicon is used in solar cells

This earth metal requires a complex mining process that is too much costlier than silicon. On the contrary, silicon is collected from the sand, and the refining process is much cheaper. You can find sand everywhere, and it is affordable.

The source of sand is numerous, and it has unlimited stock in the world. For this reason, manufacturers prefer silicon instead of germanium. Finally, we can say that silicon is more efficient, and the price is much cheaper than any other materials. Its efficiency, availability, and affordability make it the principal material of producing solar cells.

The solar industry is growing rapidly and increasing demand daily. For meeting this demand, it is important to produce plenty of solar panels. Silicon reveals the opportunity along with affordable prices.

Now, you can install a solar panel easily at a minimum cost for your home, offices, or businesses. It will enable you to get twenty-five to thirty years of service. You can enjoy uncut power solutions in all seasons. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Why is Silicon Used in Solar Panels? Video series featuring innovators. ET Financial Inclusion Summit.

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Pure crystalline silicon does not have the characteristics that are required for photovoltaic cells. As a result, pure crystalline silicon must undergo extensive processing in order to be used effectively in solar cells.

Although pure silicon is a poor conductor of electricity, it can be doped with phosphorous and boron to improve its conductivity. All of these properties of silicon make it worthwhile to utilize in solar cells. Since silicon is used as the primary semiconductor material in practically all electronics and communication industries, there is currently a large scope and diverse set of technological instruments for processing and manufacturing silicon to meet specific needs.

Despite the fact that amorphous silicon solar cells have lower performance than c-Si, they are cheaper to manufacture and can be applied on surfaces besides just glass or plastic. Silicon has primarily been used for thin-film-type solar cells in applications with low power requirements because of its simplified and cost-effective manufacturing process.

However, in recent years, improved manufacturing techniques and higher performance efficiency gains have resulted in a broader range of a-Si module applications, including building-integrated photovoltaics BIPV applications. Because of their efficiency, most solar cells are made of single crystalline silicon. The success of monocrystalline solar cells is mostly due to the fact that they lack grain boundaries due to their continuous structure, which means that excited electrons can flow around the silicon structure without being obstructed by grain boundaries.

As a result, research has been performed to locate the solar cell that balances cost-effectiveness and performance. Even while amorphous silicon thin-film solar cells appear to be a good substitute, they suffer in terms of efficiency, owing to the lack of a uniform crystalline structure. The Czochralski process, which is used to create monocrystalline silicon cells, requires a significant amount of energy.

Because single crystal silicon must be pure in order for its crystalline structure to be very uniform, a significant amount of processing is required to achieve that level. If this happens in the electric field, the field will move electrons to the n-type layer and holes to the p-type layer. If you connect the n-type and p-type layers with a metallic wire, the electrons will travel from the n-type layer to the p-type layer by crossing the depletion zone and then go through the external wire back of the n-type layer, creating a flow of electricity.

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