Much of the success of new solar energy sources (better described as sustainable energy sources) depends on the achievement of improved solar panel efficiencies. One of the primary materials that delivers superior efficiency to the solar power industry of today is fused quartz.
For years quartz has been used in important aspects of photovoltaic cell manufacturing. Fused quartz has also been valuable when it is included in panels used to provide energy for furnaces, light sources, appliances, and more. Because of its ability to transmit light and its stability, chemical purity, and heat resistance, quartz has for years been vital to the production of semiconductors for the electronics industry.
In the solar energy panels of today, photovoltaic materials and devices are of course key components. The thin solar panel film made up of photovoltaic cells often uses a cadmium telluride crystalline compound to form a semiconductor layer that more effectively converts sunlight to electricity. The important point here is that the cadmium telluride material is processed in fused quarts.
Interestingly enough, those early solar energy panels that use silicon wafer diode technology were also dependent on the use of various quartz products.
Much like the transformation of the computer industry by the development of the silicon chip, fused quartz crucibles or tubes are sky rocketing the solar energy industry into the future. These quartz crucibles are thinly sliced and placed onto the solar panel in a highly dense pattern affording maximum energy generation from a very small surface area. It stands to reason that the tighter the fit, the more dense the quartz, and the more efficient the panel.
The use of fused quartz in the production of solar panels will prove to be a vital part in the affordability of solar energy in the future.
