Solar energy is increasingly viewed as one possible answer to the global energy dilemma as the globe suffers from the imminent demise of fossil fuels and severe pollution caused by the fuels. Solar cells are a realistic way to transform solar energy into usable electrical energy among the many ways to generate energy from the sun. And among all kinds of solar cells, cadmium telluride solar cells have long been seen as a potential option for the creation of dependable and reasonably priced solar cells.
After crystalline silicon-based solar cells, cadmium telluride photovoltaic solar cells are the most widely used solar cell technology globally. Fast and affordable alternatives to traditional silicon-based PV technologies exist in the form of CdTe thin-film PV solar cells.
Solar cells made of cadmium telluride (CdTe) use thin-film layers of the semiconductor cadmium telluride to convert absorbed sunlight into power. A layer of copper-doped carbon paste serves as the bottom electrode, and tin oxide (SnO2) or stannous oxide with a cadmium base serves as the upper electrode (Cd2SnO4). Cadmium sulphide (CdS) is positioned between the top layer and the semiconductor cadmium telluride.
Is Calcium Solar Cells Efficient?
Yes, Calcium Solar Cells are efficient. Since 2001, the best cell efficiency has stabilised around 16.5%. The possibility to enhance current has almost entirely been taken advantage of, but more challenging problems related to junction quality, CdTe characteristics, and contacting have not been as successfully solved.
To boost cell efficiency, CdTe must be better doped, and essential production steps such cadmium chloride recrystallization and contacting must be better understood. Since CdTe possesses the ideal band gap for single-junction devices, it stands to reason that mass-produced CdTe cells should be able to achieve efficiencies that are near to exceeding 20% (as has already been demonstrated in CIS alloys).
What are the Advantages of Calcium Solar Cells?
Here are some benefits of using Calcium solar cells:
- The characteristics of two different forms of cadmium molecules, cadmium sulphide and cadmium telluride, are what enable the conversion of solar energy into electricity. Accordingly, manufacturing is made simpler compared to the labor-intensive process of combining two different kinds of doped silicon in a silicon solar panel by using just a basic mixture of molecules to obtain the desired qualities.
- Cadmium telluride is a good match for sunshine because it absorbs light at a wavelength that is nearly perfect, allowing it to capture energy at shorter wavelengths than silicon panels can.
- Cadmium is abundant. Because it is manufactured as a by-product of other significant industrial metals, including zinc, it is abundant and does not experience the large price fluctuations that silicon prices have experienced over the previous two years.
Also Read: What are Different Types of Solar Charge Controller?
What are the Disadvantages of Calcium Solar Cells?
Compared to silicon solar cells, cadmium telluride solar panels now have an efficiency of 10.6%, which is considerably less efficient. Tellurium is not as plentiful as Cadmium. There are just 1 to 5 parts per billion of the element tellurium (Te) in the crust of the Earth.
Global tellurium output in 2007 totaled 135 metric tonnes, according to USGS. The majority of it is a copper byproduct, with lesser amounts coming from lead and gold.
The quantity of CdTe PV modules that can be manufactured will eventually be constrained by the supply of tellurium, which would be needed to make one gigawatt (GW) of CdTe PV modules (at present efficiencies and thicknesses) would require roughly 93 metric tonnes.
In recent years, CdTe solar cells have seen an astonishing gain in efficiency. Finally, a significant body of scientific literature supports this technology’s exceptionally minimal environmental impact.
Even unfavourable reviews demonstrate how unusual it is for broken modules to have a significant amount of cadmium escape into the soil. Additionally, there will be no cadmium exposure in the event of a house fire. Additionally, this fantastic technology is completely clean due to the CdTe modules’ complete recyclable nature.
