The main materials of solar panels
Release time:
2025-09-04
Aluminum Frame: It is the structure around the perimeter of the solar panel, used to protect the edges of the panel and enhance its wind - pressure and impact - resistance capabilities.
According to the types of solar panels, we can analyze their main materials as follows:
1. Monocrystalline Silicon and Polycrystalline Silicon
Monocrystalline silicon and polycrystalline silicon are the mainstream materials for solar panels on the current market. They are two crystalline forms of silicon. Monocrystalline silicon has a complete lattice structure, resulting in a relatively high photovoltaic conversion efficiency. In contrast, polycrystalline silicon has an incomplete lattice structure, so its photovoltaic conversion efficiency is slightly lower than that of monocrystalline silicon. However, the energy consumption in the production process of polycrystalline silicon is lower, which reduces the cost.
2. Amorphous Silicon
Amorphous silicon is an amorphous silicon material. It has a relatively low photovoltaic conversion efficiency, but it features low cost, good flexibility, and high transparency. Amorphous silicon is mainly used in the production of thin - film solar panels.
3. CIGS
CIGS (Copper Indium Gallium Selenide) is a quaternary compound semiconductor material. It has a relatively high photovoltaic conversion efficiency and good flexibility. CIGS thin - film solar panels can, to some extent, make up for the shortcoming of low photovoltaic conversion efficiency of thin - film solar panels, but their cost is relatively high.
Other Auxiliary Materials of Solar Panels
In addition to the above - mentioned main materials, solar panels also include the following auxiliary materials:
Glass: It is used as a protective layer to cover the battery cells and needs to have good transparency and anti - aging properties.
EVA (Ethylene - Vinyl Acetate Copolymer): It is used to fix the battery cells and the glass, ensuring the sealing and structural stability of the solar panel.
Backsheet: Usually made of PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) or TPT (Tedlar - Polyester - Tedlar) materials, it is used to protect the back of the solar panel and improve its weather - resistance.
Aluminum Frame: It is the structure around the perimeter of the solar panel, used to protect the edges of the panel and enhance its wind - pressure and impact - resistance capabilities.
