Construction

What Inside A Solar Panel?

The basic makeup of a solar panel is solar cells, glass, a frame, and a junction box. Solar panels typically consist of tempered glass, polymer, aluminum, copper, and semiconductor materials that can be recovered and recycled at the end of their useful life. 

Material By Weight

80% is common tempered glass and aluminum frame. Electricity components make up less than 5% of the weight of most panels. The remaining 15% consists of common plastics. 

Sealed From The Elements

Solar cells in panels are encapsulated from air and moisture between two layers of plastic, providing decades of corrosion-free operation. 

Two Primary Technologies

The two primary solar cell technologies are crystalline silicon and cadmium telluride. Silicon is the second most common element in the Earth’s crust and is obtained by high-temperature processing of quartz sand that removes its oxygen molecules. Refined silicon is converted to a PV cell by adding extremely small amounts of boron and phosphorus, both of which are common and of very low toxicity. Free cadmium is toxic, but all of the approximate 7 grams of cadmium in one panel is in the form of a chemical compound cadmium telluride, which has 1/100th the toxicity of free cadmium. Cadmium telluride is a very stable compound that is non-volatile, non-soluble in water, and used in household products like paint and batteries.