Cadmium Solar Panels

On a lifecycle basis cdte pv has the smallest carbon footprint lowest water use and shortest energy payback time of any current photo voltai.

Cadmium solar panels. Cadmium telluride photovoltaics describes a photovoltaic technology that is based on the use of cadmium telluride in a thin semiconductor layer designed to absorb and convert sunlight into electricity. They also contain lead cadmium and other toxic even carcinogenic chemicals that cannot be removed without breaking apart the entire panel. Solar panels generate 300 times more toxic waste per unit of energy than nuclear power plants. Thin film solar panels and toxicity cadmium telluride.

Copper indium gallium selenide cigs. Cdte thin film panels are made from several thin layers. Workers may be exposed during smelting and refining of metals and manufacturing batteries plastics coatings and solar panels. The company solyndra now.

The expanding ni cd battery recycling industry is a concern for cadmium exposure. Worse rainwater can wash many of these toxics out of the fragments of solar modules over time. As the second most common photovoltaic technology on the market behind traditional crystalline silicon cadmium telluride cdte panels are already a viable thin film solar panel solution. Nguyen phd toxic chemicals in solar panels include cadmium telluride copper indium selenide cadmium gallium di selenide copper indium gallium di selenide hexafluoroethane lead and polyvinyl fluoride.

Cadmium fumes may cause flu like symptoms and more severe respiratory problems. One main energy producing layer made from the compound cadmium telluride and surrounding layers for electricity conduction and collection. According to cancer biologist david h. The debate over the toxic potential of thin film solar panels based on cadmium compounds has been reignited.

Cadmium is a heavy metal and extremely dangerous. Cadmium telluride pv is the only thin film technology with lower costs than conventional solar cells made of crystalline silicon in multi kilowatt systems. Cadmium telluride cdte is the most common type of thin film solar cell in production. Cadmium telluride cdte is a commonly used material in thin film solar modules.

Cigs is another mainstream thin film technology. Silicon tetrachloride a byproduct of producing crystalline silicon is also highly toxic. Worker exposure to cadmium can occur in all industry sectors but mostly in manufacturing and construction. The most common cdte solar cells consist of a simple p n heterojunction structure containing a p doped cdte layer matched with an n doped cadmium sulfide cds layer which acts as a window layer.

Solar panels often contain lead cadmium and other toxic chemicals that cannot be removed without breaking apart the entire panel.