Why is silicon preferred for making solar panels?

For a solar cell to generate current from light exposure, electrons must be excited, but they also must be channeled asymmetrically to separate the charge carriers. read more

There are materials with more ideal band gaps for solar cell efficiency (CdTe -- 1.49 eV, GaAs -- 1.43 eV), but those are significantly more expensive to produce and silicon (at 1.1 eV) is close enough. read more

In short, we use silicon for solar cells because we’re good at making silicon devices, not necessarily because silicon is the best material for solar cells. It’s no coincidence that we live in Silicon Valley. Integrated circuits built from silicon-based components are the foundation of the multi-billion dollar microelectronics industry. read more

How Silicon Makes a Solar Cell - Silicon has special chemical properties that make great solar cells. Learn about the structure of silicon and why silicon's impurities are actually useful. read more