Cadmium Telluride Solar Panel Franchise

What is cadmium telluride solar?

A utility-scale installation of cadmium telluride solar photovoltaic panels. First Solar, Inc. Cadmium telluride solar photovoltaics (PV) are a key clean energy technology that was developed in the United States, has a substantial and growing U.S. manufacturing base, and holds more than a 30% share of the U.S. utility-scale PV market.

What is the cadmium telluride (CdTe) PV perspective paper?

The Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) PV Perspective Paper (PDF) describes the state of CdTe PV technology and provides the perspective of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO).

Who makes CdTe solar panels?

American manufacturing of thin-film cadmium telluride (CdTe) solar panels has been the sole domain of First Solar for the last decade — but now, an Ohio-based competitor has joined the fray. Enter Toledo Solar.

What are the advantages of a cadmium telluride solar panel?

The major advantage of this technology is that the panels can manufactured at lower costs than silicon based solar panels. First Solar was the first manufacturer of Cadmium telluride panels to produced solar cells for less than $1.00 per watt. Some experts believe it will be possible to get the solar cell costs down to around $0.5 per watt.

When was cadmium telluride invented?

Research in Cadmium telluride dates back to the 1950's because it is almost perfectly matched to the distribution of photons in the solar spectrum in terms of optimal conversion to electricity. Early leaders in CdS/CdTe cell efficiencies were General Electric in the 1960s, and then Kodak, Monosolar, Matsushita, and AMETEK.

How safe is cadmium telluride?

The approach to CdTe safety in the European Union and China is however, much more cautious: cadmium and cadmium compounds are considered as toxic carcinogens in EU whereas China regulations allow Cd products for export only. The issue about regulating the use of Cadmium Telluride is currently being discussed in Europe.