What element acts as the workhorse semiconductor requiring purity near 99.9999% for commercial solar panels?
Answer
Silicon
Silicon is identified as the true workhorse material for generating electricity from sunlight in modern photovoltaic systems. Its fundamental characteristic is being a semiconductor, positioning its electrical conductivity between that of a full conductor and a total insulator. The functional requirement for creating an efficient electric current via the photovoltaic effect demands extremely high purity levels; general technical grade silicon (around 98%) is insufficient, as the semiconductor industry requires purity levels often quoted around 99.9999%. This high level of refinement ensures efficient flow of electrons when light excites them within the silicon wafers that form the actual photovoltaic cell.
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