What Materials Are Needed for a Solar Panel?

The two primary components of a solar panel are the solar cells and the housing or frame containing the panel. The composition of solar cells can vary depending on power requirements and applications, as can the makeup of the rest of the panel. Some factors determining the materials used to make a solar panel are available surface area, size and design of the solar-powered device for which they are made.

Crystaline Silicon Panels

• Thin slips of crystal are used for these cells, which are most commonly constructed from silicon. The silicon slip is treated with a diffusion of n-type dopants to create a photo-reactive component just beneath its surface, then it is coated in an anti-reflective layer to maximize its potential to absorb energy from sunlight. This layer is most commonly made of silicon nitride, but in older cells it was also created with titanium dioxide.

Thin Film Panels

• Thin film panels attach very thin solar cell components made from silicon or copper to a substrate material. The substrate can be rigid, as with glass substrates, or made from flexible materials such as polyesters or polymide film. The points of connections between cells and the rest of the solar collector system are layered together with the cells and substrate. A second film, typically glass in rigid panels or transparent flouropolymers in flexible systems is placed over the substrate and collector layer. In flexible panels, polymers can be applied to the back for direct adhesion to solar devices. In rigid panels, the panel is built into a frame to be fit into a solar collector system.

Panel Housing Structures

• Regardless of type, all solar panels need to be housed, supported and directed toward light sources. In small electronics, the body of the device is used as the panel housing. An example of this type of housing can be seen in solar powered calculators, where a small array of crystalline silicon panels is built into the body of the calculator, typically above the display screen. Much larger thin film panels can bend and wrap around the surface of the device they power. That device then serves as the primary support structure for its solar panels, as is the case with the surface of a solar-powered car. Rigid thin film panels are integrated into structures that may contain plastic, fiberglass and metal parts to create a support frame. These frames may also be movable, allowing either manual or automated redirection of the panels to capture and convert optimum amounts of solar energy.