Solar
Solar energy plays a key role in the global shift to renewable energy. Solar panels, which convert sunlight into electricity, need critical raw materials like gallium, germanium, and silicon. These materials are essential for making and operating solar panels. Extracting, refining, and using these materials involves complex economic, political, and social challenges.
1 Mining
The first step is extracting raw materials like gallium, germanium, and silicon. These are crucial for making solar panels. Most extraction happens in China, a significant producer of silica, which is refined into high-purity silicon for solar cells. Gallium and germanium are extracted as by-products of other mining. China’s dominance in these materials gives it significant economic and political power. However, mining can also cause environmental pollution and poor working conditions.
2 Refining
The second step is refining the raw materials. Gallium and germanium are sent to refineries in China and Chile, where they are purified for further use. Silicon is also refined in these countries to become high-purity silicon for solar cells. This process requires advanced technology and a lot of energy, often carried out in China, the world’s leading producer of refined materials for solar cells.
3 Components
In the third step, the refined materials are used to make components. Silicon is the most common material in traditional solar panels. Gallium is used in gallium arsenide (GaAs) solar cells and is known for its efficiency. Germanium is a high-efficiency multi-junction solar cell substrate, often used in demanding environments like space. Most of this production happens in China, which has developed a major solar component industry.
4 Products
Finally, the components are assembled in the fourth step into finished solar panels. This mostly happens in China, where the final products are tested and prepared for installation in solar farms and rooftops worldwide. The finished solar cell is the result of a global supply chain involving many countries and complex processes.