Explainer: How do you make solar panels?

The document outlines the five-step production process of solar panels—from silicon extraction to final panel assembly—and highlights China's dominance in the sector, noting that the country controls over 80% of manufacturing stages and has invested over $50 billion in solar PV capacity since 2011.

• China dominates the global solar panel manufacturing industry, controlling more than 80% of all manufacturing stages and hosting the world's top 10 suppliers of solar PV manufacturing equipment. Since 2011, China has invested over $50 billion in new solar PV capacity, which is 10 times the investment made by Europe, and has created 300,000 industry jobs.
• The production of solar panels involves a five-step process: converting sand into high-quality silicon (which is energy-intensive and costly), melting silicon with boron to create cylindrical ingots, slicing ingots into anti-reflective coated wafers, heating wafers with phosphorus to create cells with negative electrical polarity, and finally encapsulating cells in rubber or acetate within an aluminium frame.
• While China's manufacturing capacity has lowered global solar panel prices, the International Energy Agency (IEA) warns that the high concentration of capacity in one region creates potential supply chain challenges that governments need to address.

APA

Edmond, C. (2022). Explainer: How do you make solar panels? World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/solar-panels-renewable-energy-china/

Chicago

Edmond, Charlotte. Explainer: How do you make solar panels? World Economic Forum, 2022. https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/solar-panels-renewable-energy-china/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Edmond |first1=Charlotte |title=Explainer: How do you make solar panels? |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=22 September 2022 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/solar-panels-renewable-energy-china/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{edmond2022explainer, author = {Edmond, Charlotte}, title = {{Explainer: How do you make solar panels?}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2022}, month = sep, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/solar-panels-renewable-energy-china/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }