Question: What are solar panels made of?

Christine Coonick answered on 7 Mar 2016:

Good question. There are a few different types of solar panels that we refer to as first, second and third generation technologies. It’s a bit like the revolution of the mobile phone, with the technology getting better (theoretically) with every new generation. First generation solar panels are the most commonly installed panels and you will see them on roofs in your neighbourhood. These are made of Crystalline Silicon (c-Si) cells – black panels are usually monocrystalline (single wafers of c-Si), blue panels are usually polycrystalline (bits of c-Si stuck together to form a cell). Second generation panels are sometimes referred to as thin-film as they can actually be sprayed onto pretty much any surface and are what you will find in high tech products like bags with built in solar phone charges. The materials used can vary but are normally amorphous silicone, CIGS (copper indium gallium selenide) or CdTe (cadmium telluride). Third generation technologies cover a wide range of materials, but these are still only in experimental form. It is one thing to create something in a lab but it is a lot harder to make it into a commercial product for mass production.