The global drive to bring non-fossil fuel energy sources to fruition as swiftly as possible has created several new energy industries, of which solar power is very much at the forefront. Forecasts indicate that photovoltaic (PV) derived electricity could be providing up to 12% of the EU’s electricity demand by 2020.
Although they might not be immediately obvious, for industrial minerals, there are realisable opportunities in the PV manufacturing process (see panel).
PV cells
There are two main types of PV technology: crystalline silicon technology and thin film technology. The most common technology is crystalline silicon, which accounts for around 90% of the PV cells produced.
Crystalline silicon cells are made from thin slices of a single crystal (monocrystalline), or slices from a block of crystals (polycrystalline or multicrystalline).
Thin film PV cells are produced by deposition of very thin layers of photosensitive materials on to a low...