E.g. if a solar panel factory (simplifying into a single entity) already exists, is there any reason not to run it at 100% production capacity? What consumables are used?
- Czochralski purification of silicon to produce a "boule"
- saw boule into "wafers" (surprisingly important, see "reduced kerf diamond wire saw")
- wafers can be used for microchips, or doped into solar cells
- apply contacts to top face
- package into a panel with glass and aluminium frames
The "wafer" market is somewhat independent. Purification depends on the price of energy (it's very energy intensive). Better sawing reduces waste and increases wafers per boule.
More factories come online all the time. Panels themselves are now extremely cheap, and it's worth looking at "balance of system" (labour, permitting, frames and racks, inverters).
I believe market data firms track all the relevant info, although they don't necessarily give the resulting info away on the internet.
Afaik, it's more strict metallurgy (materialurgy?): temperature, time, some physical process.
Point being, I'd be curious on the actual cost of material inputs, if the price of solar panels crashes. How low can they go... and still be worth making?
From https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38150735, it’s very energy intensive.
> if the price of solar panels crashes. How low can they go... and still be worth making?
Boules are very storable, so it’s the financials of pausing production and storing materials until the price (or new tech) makes it profitable. Not the most socially responsible thing to do in decarbonisation times, but done with aluminium and other energy intensive storables all the time.