However, this technology suffers from low efficiencies and slow deposition rates (leading to high capital costs). Cadmium telluride PV is the only thin film technology with lower costs than conventional solar cells made of crystalline silicon in multi-kilowatt systems. Exide was originally a brand name for batteries produced by The Electric Storage Battery Company and later became Exide Corporation doing business as Exide Technologies, an American multinational lead-acid batteries manufacturing company. [40] In February 2016, First Solar announced that they had reached a record 22.1% conversion efficiency in their CdTe cells. [27] Antec was able to make about 7%-efficient modules, but went bankrupt when it started producing commercially during a short, sharp market downturn in 2002. A wide range of other products is available for specialised applications and to meet local conditions and regulations. [26] Golden Photon held the record for a short period for the best CdTe module measured at NREL at 7.7% using a spray deposition technique. A contract for two megawatts of rooftop installations with, This page was last edited on 24 March 2021, at 08:23. [65][66] All other uses and exposures related to cadmium are minor and similar in kind and magnitude to exposures from other materials in the broader PV value chain, e.g., to toxic gases, lead solder, or solvents (most of which are not used in CdTe manufacturing).[67][68]. Industrial - USA Industrial - Canada Industrial - Caribbean Household Product information is for general guidance only - please contact your local Thor Group Company for Product Data Sheets and technical advice. In 2014 research discovered that abundant and harmless magnesium chloride (MgCl2) performs as well as cadmium chloride. Product Safety. Its recycling facilities operate at each of First Solar’s manufacturing plants and recover up to 95% of semiconductor material for reuse in new modules and 90% of glass for reuse in new glass products. According to USGS, global production in 2007 was 135 metric tons. Potassium Chloride is a metal halide composed of potassium and chloride. [70], Materials that can be recovered in the recycling process include metals, mounts, glass, and, in high value cases, the whole PV module. With a share of 5.1% of worldwide PV production, CdTe technology accounted for more than half of the thin film market in 2013. Direct manufacturing cost for CdTe PV modules reached $0.57 per watt in 2013,[78] and capital cost per new watt of capacity is near $0.9 per watt (including land and buildings).[79]. [80] Recent installations of large First Solar CdTe PV systems were claimed to be competitive with other forms of solar energy: Further mention of cost competitiveness: ". SENSE (Sustainability EvaluatioN of Solar Energy systems) and RESOLVED (REcovery of SOLar Valuable materials, Enrichment, and Decontamination) are European funded procedures. (2017). Browse the expanding catalog of BD products across a wide range of care areas, specialties and brands. Y. S. Tyan, 1978, Polycrystalline thin film CdS/CdTe photovoltaic cell, Kodak, B. Basol, E. Tseng, R.L. Instead, the PV market reached some 4 gigawatts in 2007 with crystalline silicon comprising almost 90% of sales. These reductions show a highly beneficial change in the overall environmental profile of CdTe photovoltaic module. Te is almost exclusively obtained as a by-product of copper refining, with smaller amounts from lead and gold production. In 2014, the record module efficiency was also raised by First Solar from 16.1% up to 17.0%. injection routes, with increaed incidences of liver tumors, pulmonary angiosarcomas, extrahepatic abdominal angiosarcomas, and tumors of the Zymbal gland … [71], Success of cadmium telluride PV has been due to the low cost achievable with the CdTe technology, made possible by combining adequate efficiency with lower module area costs. The abundance of tellurium—of which telluride is the anionic form—is comparable to that of platinum in the earth's crust and contributes significantly to the module's cost.[12]. [23] Monosolar[24] and AMETEK[25] used electrodeposition, a popular early method. [77], During a module’s lifespan, it will not release any particles or vapors if used as intended. The [Ch]Cl + acetic acid mixture was analyzed using DSC as proposed by Pontes et al. [26], In the early 1990s, other players experienced mixed results. Orally administered vinyl chloride is rapidly absorbed and has been shown to be mutagenic and/or genotoxic in a number of systems. Photovoltaic modules can last anywhere from 25 – 30 years. [39], In August 2014 First Solar announced a device with 21.1% conversion efficiency. [59][60] Certain undersea ridges are rich in tellurium. [citation needed], Module efficiencies are measured in laboratories at standard testing temperatures of 25 °C, however in the field modules are often exposed to much higher temperatures. Process for making photovoltaic devices and resultant product, United States Patent 5248349; and their vapor transport patent, featuring the movement of vaporized cadmium and, This number is calculated by multiplying efficiency (12.6%) by 1000 to get output watts per square meter (126 W/m, Publications of the Sichuan Xinju Mineral Resource Development Co., China, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, "Publications, Presentations, and News Database: Cadmium Telluride", Solar Power Lightens Up with Thin-Film Technology, "Life-cycle uses of water in U.S. electricity generation", "Life cycle impact analysis of cadmium in CdTe PV production", "Toxic Substances In Photovoltaic Modules", "Water Solubility of Cadmium Telluride in a Glass-to-Glass Sealed PV Module", "The Lowdown on the Safety of First Solar's CdTe Thin Film", "NREL: Manufacturing Analysis - Supply Constraints Analysis", Various estimates of world module production in 2007, "NREL: News - Record Makes Thin-Film Solar Cell Competitive with Silicon Efficiency", "First Solar Acquires GE's PrimeStar Solar IP, Misses Q2 Revenue and Lowers Guidance", "While First Solar keeps on trucking, others in CdTe thin-film PV pack keep on muddling", After long wait, McMaster to join hall of fame, "First Solar annual manufacturing levels", First Solar Gives GE 1.8% Stake in Thin-Film Partnership, "First Solar Builds the Highest Efficiency Thin Film PV Cell on Record", "First Solar Sets Thin-Film Module Efficiency World Record of 17.0 Percent", "First Solar Hits Record 22.1% Conversion Efficiency for CdTe Solar Cell", "Performance characterization and superior energy yield of First Solar PV power plants in high temperature conditions", "Parabolic Trough Technology Models and Software Tools", "Assessment of critical thin film resources", "First Solar CdTe Photovoltaic Technology: Environmental, Health and Safety Assessment", "Future recycling flows of tellurium from cadmium telluride photovoltaic waste", "Bean Curd Component Could Slash Solar Panel Costs", "CdTe Photovoltaics: Life Cycle Environmental Profile and Comparisons", "Technology Support of High-Throughput Processing of Thin Film CdTe Panels", "Grain boundaries in CdTe thin-film solar cells: A review", "Selective separation and recovery of rare metals by vulcanization-vacuum distillation of cadmium telluride waste", "Evolution of First Solar's Module Recycling Program", ftp://ftp.co.imperial.ca.us/icpds/eir/campo-verde-solar/final/life-cycle-cdte.pdf, 10.1002/(sici)1099-159x(200001/02)8:1<27::aid-pip296>3.0.co;2-8, "First Solar Reports Largest Quarterly Decline In CdTe Module Cost Per-Watt Since 2007", Pacific Crest Presentation, August 3–5, 2008, "First Solar announces two solar projects with Southern California Edison", "California Utility to Install 250MW of Roof-Top Solar", "CdTe photovoltaics: Life cycle environmental profile and comparisons", "Progress in Photovoltaic Energy Conversion", Copper indium gallium selenide solar cells, Photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar collector, Solar-Powered Aircraft Developments Solar One, List of countries by photovoltaics production, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cadmium_telluride_photovoltaics&oldid=1013937313, Articles with dead external links from July 2017, Articles with permanently dead external links, Articles with dead external links from November 2018, Articles with dead external links from July 2020, Articles with dead external links from November 2017, Articles lacking reliable references from June 2016, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2014, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from July 2017, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2015, All articles with vague or ambiguous time, Vague or ambiguous time from December 2013, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Made more conductive for PV, tin oxide became and remains the norm in CdTe PV modules. The LCA also showed that the main contributors to considered environmental impact categories are due to required chemicals and energy within the processing of CdTe modules. Cadmium (Cd), a toxic heavy metal considered a hazardous substance, is a waste byproduct of mining, smelting and refining sulfidic ores of zinc during zinc refining, and therefore its production does not depend on PV market demand. [46][47][48] CdTe PV modules experience half the reduction of crystalline silicon modules, resulting in an increased annual energy output of 5-9%.[49]. Tellurium is a rare, mildly toxic metalloid that is primarily used as a machining additive to steel. Almost all thin film photovoltaic module systems to-date have been non-solar tracking, because module output was too low to offset tracker capital and operating costs. U.S. product catalog. [4][5][6] CdTe's energy payback time of less than a year allows for faster carbon reductions without short-term energy deficits. The video presents a groundbreaking Chloride XP industrial AC UPS / charger solution for use in hazardous areas (offshore platforms, Zone 1 and 2 environment). Potassium maintains intracellular tonicity, is required for nerve conduction, cardiac, skeletal and smooth muscle contraction, production of energy, the synthesis of nucleic acids, maintenance of blood pressure and normal renal function. [70] Only three methods of high-value recycling are industrially available for thin-film PV modules, as of 2013. BP used electrodeposition (inherited from Monosolar by a circuitous route when it purchased SOHIO, Monosolar's acquirer). CdTe’s relatively low temperature coefficient protects performance at higher temperatures. Ensuring the safety of Dow products in their intended applications through our product stewardship programs and compliance with requirements are the key elements of Dow’s Product Safety … BP Solar dropped CdTe in November 2002. Despite their low leachability, CdTe modules have very poor biodegradability. [77], CdTe cells are considered to be both toxic and carcinogenic when inhaled or ingested as Cd is a toxic compound by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 2014 CdTe module costs were about $72 per 1 square metre (11 sq ft),[45] or about $90 per module. When exposed to temperatures of approximately 1100 °C in lab tests around 0.4% to 0.6% of the Cd content was released. The final method, First Solar, relies on mechanical and chemical processes. [33] McMaster championed CdTe for its high-rate, high-throughput processing. [52], Tellurium (Te) production and reserves estimates are subject to uncertainty and vary considerably. Household, = $is_spammer === true ? [35], In its early years First Solar suffered setbacks, and initial module efficiencies were modest, about 7%. [32], The major commercial success was by Solar Cells Incorporated (SCI). Despite the small amounts of Cd that may leach out, CdTe modules have low overall leachability as the hazardous materials within them are encased within two layers of glass. [44], Process optimization improved throughput and lowered costs. A simple heterojunction design evolved in which p-type CdTe was matched with n-type cadmium sulfide (CdS). RESOLVED relies on mainly mechanical treatments. First Solar established the first global and comprehensive recycling program in the PV industry in 2005. A large growth in the CdTe PV sector has the potential to reduce global cadmium emissions by displacing coal and oil power generation. [70] Emissions from fossil fuels that impact global climates such as Nitrogen Oxide (NOx), Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) are not emitted from PV.