Cadmium telluride is one of the second generation thin film solar cell technologies.
Tellurium solar panel.
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.
Cadmium telluride cdte solar panels 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.
On a lifecycle basis cdte pv has the smallest carbon footprint lowest water use and shortest energy payback time of any current photo voltai.
Demands for tellurium particularly as the global carbon footprint is reduced and solar energy technology becomes more widespread are predicted to increase steadily over the next 15 to 20 years.
Of all the solar technologies cdte solar panels are the most.
Tellurium is essential to several different modern technologies such as solar panels and thermoelectric generators which make up 70 of tellurium demand.
It s far better at absorbing light than silicon on which most solar power is currently based and as a result its absorbing layer doesn t need to be as thick.
Cadmium telluride thin film solar cells are providing a lower cost alternative to conventional silicon based solar panels.
In the coming years these markets are.
Pv solar cells based on cdte represent the largest segment of commercial thin film module production worldwide.
A layer of cadmium telluride just one thousandth of a millimetre thick will absorb around 90 of the light that hits it.
According to a report published by techsci research on global solar panel recycling market the global solar panel recycling market is projected to grow at a cagr of around 20 through 2024 on the back of increasing volume of decommissioned pv panels coupled with strict laws to boost effective recycling.
Tellurium alloyed with cadmium forms the compound cadmium telluride cdte a highly conductive compound when exposed to sunlight.
Cadmium telluride solar cells the united states is the leader in cadmium telluride cdte photovoltaic pv manufacturing and nrel has been at the forefront of research and development in this area.
Extremely rare yet a vital ingredient to emerging solar panel technologies tellurium is the epitome of what it means to be a critical metalloid an element that possesses the properties of both a metal and non metal.