Why Is Tellurium Used In Solar Panels

While cadmium is relatively abundant tellurium is not.

Why is tellurium used in solar panels.

Tellurium or its toxic effect on humans and ecosystems. 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. Cadmium telluride solar cells. Tellurium te is an extremely rare element 1 5 parts per billion in the earth s crust.

Of all the solar technologies cdte solar panels are the most. Cadmium telluride solar panels currently achieve an efficiency of 10 6 which is significantly lower than the typical efficiencies of silicon solar cells. Tellurium alloyed with cadmium forms the compound cadmium telluride cdte a highly conductive compound when exposed to sunlight. But cadmium telluride s achilles heel is the tellurium itself one of the rarest metals in the earth s crust.

Cadmium telluride solar modules now account for around 5 of global installations and depending on how you do the sums can produce lower cost power than silicon solar. Cadmium telluride cdte photovoltaics describes a photovoltaic pv technology that is based on the use of cadmium telluride in a thin semiconductor layer designed to absorb and convert sunlight into electricity. Pv solar cells based on cdte represent the largest segment of commercial thin film module production worldwide. Human exposure to tellurium can lead to a garlic odor on the breath nausea and eventual respiratory problems.