New Low Cost Solar Panel
74CdTe or silicon???
Crystalline silicon wafers have been the the dominant source of photo-voltaic materials for the last two decades, but dependence on expensive crystalline silicon may soon change with the recent improvements made on the Cadmium Telluride solar cell.
The patented technology developed by Professor Sampath at ColoradoStateUniversityis expected to lower production costs to $1 per Watt. This is accomplished by the continuous, automated manufacturing of solar panels using glass coated with a cadmium telluride rather than crystalline silicone. As Professor Sampath explained: "The key to expanding the U.S. market is to lower manufacturing costs so more people can afford the technology,"
The process makes better use of raw materials since Cadmium telluride solar panels require 100 times less semiconductor material than high-cost crystalline silicon panels and the manufacturing process may be automated. Cadmium salts as well as other heavy metal salts are highly toxic, but when handled with care the benefits of CdTe photovoltaic technology outweigh the risks.
A simplified cross section of a CdTe solar cell might look like this, but don’t expect to manufacture them without the support of a University and the backing of a multi billion dollar corporation.
