Even though solar energy is renewable, it doesn’t mean that we extract the mineral needed for it in a manner as to pose a danger to the environment. Instead, the method should be a sustainable one. Solar energy’s rising popularity has caused the price of its raw materials to skyrocket. This article will examine the minerals used in the solar industry, their mining, and their refining.
The Minerals In Solar Panels
Solar panels can make limitless amounts of energy but the materials needed to make their components are exhaustible. Most solar panels contain the following minerals:
- Gallium.
- Cadmium.
- Copper.
- Silicon.
- Selenium.
- Tellurium.
- Indium.
- Lead.
- Nickel.
- Zinc.
- Aluminum.
- Silver.
- Tin.
- Molybdenum.
You might see some rare earth elements in this lengthy list of elements. This is because many minerals are used in different solar technologies, laboratories, and thin-film solar panels.
Minerals Usage in Solar Panels
Solar panels are built using mined, processed, and refined minerals. All this processing increases the efficiency and electrical conductivity of solar energy systems.
Silver:
Pasted between silicon wafers, silver mainly carries solar electricity from the panels to where it is needed.
Aluminum:
Aluminum’s heat conduction, durability, recyclability, and lightweight nature come in handy as it is used for framing solar panels.
Copper:
Copper enhances the performance and efficiency of solar panels due to their high durability and conductivity.
Zinc:
Another efficiency enhancer, zinc, helps improve solar panels' energy conversion.
Silicon:
Silicon captures sunlight and transforms it into free electrons using its light-absorbing and crystalline semiconductivity. This way, electricity is generated.
The Negatives
If misused or mishandled, the minerals used to create solar power systems can have devastating environmental implications.
Silver:
Large quantity production of silver can cause the release of mercury in land, air, or water. Mercury is especially dangerous to the environment but highly toxic to humans.
Aluminum:
Aluminum, in high quantities, is toxic to freshwater organisms. Even though 75% of the aluminum mined is still used today due to the increased recycling rates, mining, and refining, it is very resource-intensive.
Copper:
Copper can attach to organic matter and release free minerals, harming the land and water-based life, stunting growth, reducing survival, and hindering reproduction.
Zinc:
Zinc affects soils, vegetables, water resources, and crops. In heavy amounts, it can cause severe damage to humans too.
Silicon:
Silica particles can attach easily to the leaves of plants and interfere with respiration and photosynthesis.
Minerals in Solar Batteries
While solar panels have many minerals in them, solar batteries only have three:
- Saltwater.
- Lead-acid.
- Lithium-ion.
However, new residential solar batteries might contain more minerals such as:
- Vanadium.
- Chromium.
- Graphite.
- Cobalt.
- Manganese.
The Usage Of Minerals Solar Batteries
You can take a look at the three most used solar energy storage systems to get an idea of the minerals used and how they’re used:
Saltwater:
Lithium is replaced with sodium, giving you a saltwater solution that can take in, store, and provide energy. This makes saltwater batteries recyclable with a long lifecycle and lifespan. Their only shortcoming is their low energy storage capacity.
Lead-Acid:
A lead metal plate divides the positively charged lead dioxide metal plate (cathode) and the anode in a lead-acid battery. It also has a mixture of water and sulfuric acid as an electrolyte. The plates are submerged in the electrolyte to store electricity.
Lithium-Ion:
The most popular and commonly used batteries, lithium-ion batteries, have a higher energy density, a long lifespan, are more efficient, and need less upkeep than lead-acid batteries. This is why most of their use includes electric vehicles and homes.
The Environmental Impact
Both lithium and lead can cause considerable pollution if not appropriately handled. In large amounts, they can even cause toxicity in the soil, air, and water posing serious risks to animals and humans alike.
Even though solar energy is doing more good than harm, this doesn’t mean we ignore its negatives. We should first understand the solar panel production process to better care for the environment. We can mitigate its harmfulness by knowing about the process and working together toward a brighter future.