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This has been started to keep Terraformers topic on Task
From Simple vs Complex, Common vs Rare topic:
I don't think complexity can be reduced down to just tolerances, though that's definitely part of it. It's also the number of steps involved, as well as the reagents you need to use. You could have all the elements to make solar cells in abundance, but going from raw sand to the pure siliicon wafers is still going to be fiendishly difficult. I suppose what I'm getting at, in a sense, is the entropy of manufacture...
The complexity of solar comes back to the average person can not make one from scratch but since we are wanting to do that maybe a topic on building them is what we really want rather than talking about what we could do if we had them....
Leverage from one gain to the next for insitu built and used
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Construction and working of Solar Cell
https://news.energysage.com/what-are-so … materials/
It essentially consists of a silicon PN junction diode with a glass window on top surface layer of P material is made extremely thin so, that incident light photon’s may easily reach the PN junction. When these photons collide with valence electrons’. They comport them sufficient energy as to leave their parent atoms. In this way free electrons and holes are generated on both sides of the junction. Due to these holes and electrons current are produces. This current is directly proportional to the illumination’s (mw/cm2) and also depends on the size of the surface area being illuminated.
solar cell construction process equipment
Photovoltaic solar cells are thin silicon disks that convert sunlight into electricity. These disks act as energy sources for a wide variety of uses, including: calculators and other small devices; telecommunications; rooftop panels on individual houses; and for lighting, pumping, and medical refrigeration for villages in developing countries. Solar cells in the form of large arrays are used to power satellites and, in rare cases, to provide electricity for power plants.
All crystalline solar cells (mono and poly) are made using a very thin wafer of base silicon with the two main types being p-type and n-type. ... N-type cell construction is more expensive as it uses what's known as a boron diffusion process to add the thin p-type 'emitter' layer. These processes include, diffusion, drying, firing annealing, deposition, and coating of the solar cell.
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https://www.cleanenergyreviews.info/blo … nstruction
types of cells and the layering that happens for them to work...
http://www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Solar-Cell.html
https://phys.org/news/2017-04-fabricati … cells.html
U.S. Solar Photovoltaic Manufacturing: Industry Trends, Global Competition,Federal Support
https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42509.pdf
How to put together a system
http://www.solar4rschools.org/sites/def … uction.pdf
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I've researched and posted about this topic before.
All my research suggests that you could import PV panel manufacturing equipment to Mars and begin PV manufacture there. You might possibly need to account for the lower G on Mars. That might affect some of the equipment.
This is a highly automated plant:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KTrq63Q2u4
It's a big facility but I am sure it could be scaled down for a Mars plant.
Acquiring the materials on Mars for PV panel manufacture should be relatively easy. Certainly silicon is abundant. Possibly it might make sense to import some of the rarer chemicals from Earth as necessary.
I think with sophisticated 3D printers we could also begin to build PV manufacturing plant on Mars. Maybe you couldn't achieve 100% self-sufficiency straight off but even 80% would be v. useful, avoiding the need for importation of heavy machinery.
I think robots would form a bigger part of the set up on Mars compared with Earth. Labour will be in such short supply on Mars that it will make sense to use mobile robots that can take X from A to B within a manufacturing facility.
Within 10 years you could have a sophisticated PV panel manufacturing facility on Mars.
BTW I've seen You Tube videos of people creating PV panels out of mostly natural ingredients like berry juice. They are very inefficient but it can be done.
Let's Go to Mars...Google on: Fast Track to Mars blogspot.com
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Utility-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Power Plants
http://web.stanford.edu/group/mcgehee/p … ee2011.pdf
An Overview of Solar Cell Technology
Indicated 43.5% effieciency has been obtained
https://spectrum.ieee.org/green-tech/so … -you-think
How Green Are Those Solar Panels, Really?
https://www.btu.com/products/solar-cell … equipment/
https://www.btu.com/products/solar-cell … -furnaces/
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I have seen the organic cell as well in my searches of the past for how to make them but these are real weak for output.
Plus there are not all that many berries on mars to start with for making them...
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Here is the really issue in that for embedded energy to make solar panels but this is nt the total answer.
AI Overview
The embodied energy to make solar panels refers to the upfront energy consumed throughout the manufacturing process, from mining raw materials to producing the panels. This energy includes the high-temperature processes needed to refine silicon, as well as energy for manufacturing glass, aluminum frames, and other components. The total energy varies by panel type and manufacturing location, but a 1 kW solar system might have about 2.5 MWh of embodied energy, with the silicon component alone being highly energy-intensive.
Key Factors Affecting Embodied Energy
Silicon Processing:
The production of highly purified silicon, the primary material for most solar panels, is a very energy-intensive process.
Manufacturing Location:
Panels manufactured on grids rich in renewable energy sources have a lower embodied energy and carbon footprint compared to those made on coal-rich grids.
Panel Type:
Thin-film solar cells, such as those made from cadmium telluride (CdTe), can have a lower embodied energy than silicon-based panels.
Balance of System (BOS):
The total energy required for a project includes the energy to manufacture the panel itself (the module) and the energy for other components like inverters and mounting structures.
Measuring the Energy Footprint
Energy Payback Time (EPBT):
.
This metric shows how long a solar panel must operate to generate the same amount of energy that was used to produce it. Modern solar panels have a relatively short EPBT, meaning they quickly "pay back" their initial energy investment.
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA):
.
This is a comprehensive tool used to assess the total embodied energy and carbon emissions of a product over its entire life cycle.
Trends and Innovations
Grid Decarbonization:
As more renewable energy enters the grid, especially where panels are manufactured, the embodied energy of solar panels decreases.
Alternative Materials:
Research into thin-film technologies and materials like those derived from food waste aims to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions in solar panel production.
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We could build solar thermal powerplants on a much simpler resource base than would be possible for PV. The problems with solar thermal are: (1) It requires active tracking of the sun; (2) It needs direct sunlight to work, diffuse light interupted by clouds isn't useful. PV will generate some power from diffuse light, solar thermal will not. (3) To generate power from solar thermal requires a heat engine. That means someone has to operate it and it will have moving parts that require maintenance. (4) Solar thermal, like PV, means having slender structures covering large areas, making both vulnerable to storm damage.
All that being said, if I had to build a solar powerplant in my home workshop, I could probably build a crude solar thermal power system using LP steam. Could I build a PV system? Very unlikely. How the hell could I produce doped polysilicon in a home foundry? If I could buy the cells or panels, I coukd do the rest. But building PV cells? That is a major industrial effort. Not possible without a lot of investment in equipment.
Last edited by Calliban (2025-08-17 15:12:51)
"Plan and prepare for every possibility, and you will never act. It is nobler to have courage as we stumble into half the things we fear than to analyse every possible obstacle and begin nothing. Great things are achieved by embracing great dangers."
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