Silicon
Silicon is the most crucial ingredient in most solar panels.
China is the world’s largest producer of silica, which it refines into pure silicon for solar panels. Brazil and Norway are also big suppliers. Silicon is crucial for almost 90% of all solar panels. Because so much silicon refining happens in China, it has a lot of influence in the global market. This dominance has caused geopolitical tensions, but it’s also spurred tech advances and more investments in clean energy solutions.