How Are Solar Panels Made?

Now known as the cheapest energy source in history, solar power has a lot of people wondering how a bit of silicon, metal and glass can be so energy efficient, cost effective and ‘green’ all at the same time.

So how is it done? The answer lays within the manufacturing process.

But before we can think about how solar panels are made let’s break it down and look at the separate materials it takes to make a solar PV.

Solar Panel Parts | What Are Solar Panels Made Of?

The most important part of the solar panel are the silicon cells. Silicon is a non-metal with conductive properties which is what gives it the ability to convert sunlight into electricity.

When sunlight hits a silicon cell it causes electrons to fire which creates a flow of electricity. This process is known as the ‘photovoltaic effect.’

There are three different types of solar PV cells used in solar panels. Once a silicon cell type is selected for the solar panel other elements are added for its construction. Check out what they are below:

Silicon cell types

Other base material used

Metal Frame
Glass sheet for casing
Standard 12V wire
Bus wire
Plexiglass

Solar Panel Manufacturing Process | So How Are Solar Panels Made?

Monocrystalline and Polycrystalline solar panels have a similar manufacturing process. Below are the steps that are taken to transform these panels from a simple raw material such as sand to the solar panels we see on our rooftops.

1. Turning Sand into Silicon

The main material needed to produce a solar panel is silicon. Luckily for us, silicon can be found in natural beach sand which is an abundantly available resource on our planet.

Converting sand into high-grade silicon can be a tricky process however and requires costly, energy-intensive processes such as firing it through arc furnaces.

2. Developing Solar Ingots

Once the silicon has been created it is collected in its solid rock form.

Hundreds of these rocks are then melted together at very high temperatures to form cylinder-shaped ingots. To achieve the perfect cylinder shape the atoms are monitored to ensure they are perfectly aligned in structure and orientation.

Boron is then added to give the silicon a positive electrical charge.

*Point: Monocrystalline panels are manufactured from a single crystal of silicon, making it a higher efficiency rating. This is why the price of Monocrystalline panels is generally higher than other panel types.

**Point: Polycrystalline panels are made by melting a few silicon crystals together. This creates a shattered glass look on the finished product.

3. Slicing Solar Ingots Into Wafers

The next step in the solar panel manufacturing process is the cutting of the silicon ingot into ‘wafer’ thin disks.

Silicon is highly reflective, so it is also at this stage where an anti-reflective coating is added to the silicon wafer.

4. Developing Solar Panel Cells

How Solar Panels Are Made — Image from Yingli Solar

Now that the silicon wafers are ready, an electrical charge can be added to the system.

To do this, metal conductors are added to the surface of each silicon ingot wafer. These conductors are used to transform the wafers into a grid-like matrix to ensure maximum energy efficiency.

Finally, in a large oven, phosphorus is diffused over the wafers to help charge them with negative electrical orientation. The reaction between the boron (positive energy) and phosphorus (negative energy) gives the cell the power to function properly.

5. Final Solar Panel Construction

Now that the main component is ready, the solar cell can be put together and transformed into a tool that can convert solar power into electricity.

A solar panel is created by soldering multiple silicon cells together with metal. So how many cells are to a panel?

48 cells	Small residential panel size
60 cells	Standard panel size
72 cells	Large-scale panel size

After the cells are put together, thin glass is added on the front side of the panel, the back sheet is made of durable polymer-based material and a junction box is added to enable the connection.

A solar PV is complete once the metal frame has been added.