There’s a higher percentage, no matter if you want to measure it by weight or components or the cost of said components, there’s a higher percentage of recycled everything in a CadTel module. “First Solar has been doing this for 25+ years. This is important to utilities, too, which are mandated to supply a reliable, stable source of electricity.īates credits First Solar for being a pioneer in solar module recycling, an industry that is woefully underfunded and underbuilt in the silicon solar cell space. Due to this, stability and bankability, and decreased risk are important, both in the supply and delivery of planned projects, and the performance in the field.īates said the degradation level of CdTe is much lower than polysilicon modules, and they perform better in high temperatures, meaning the technology is a safer bet for investors who sign 20 to 30-year power purchase agreements with large utility off-takers. This factor is not measured in efficiency ratings, but it is measured in the final kWh output of the panel, said Bates.īecause CdTe is largely used at the utility scale, projects are quite large, making investment and liability high. Unlike polysilicon, CdTe is photoactive to the entire visible light spectrum. There are quite a few reasons to support CdTe and US-made solar, said Bates, including technological advantages, bankability, recyclability, supply chain stability, improved labor practices, and more.įirst, Bates said CdTe has a wider range of spectral responses than polysilicon cells, the main source of US solar panels. So why all the growth, and why did Bates enter the market? About 20 years ago, it represented less than 1% of solar installations. Eventually, he purchased an existing CdTe facility in Ohio, which today operates as the module supplier Toledo Solar.īates said that 90% of US utility-scale projects last year were CdTe, and the utility-scale sector makes up about 55% of all solar capacity added. He said he was trying to find reasons not to enter the space, and the more he looked, the more CdTe became appealing. Aaron Bates, the founder of Toledo Solar, an Ohio-based manufacturer of CdTe modules, told pv magazine USA that the technology has grown from a small fraction of solar projects to the dominant source of modules in utility-scale projects.īates came from an institutional finance background, and when he first got involved in solar, he was intrigued by this level of growth and began investigating. 2019 grid parity white paperĬadmium telluride (CdTe) solar panels, famously made by First Solar, are an essential part of the US solar module ecosystem. Clean Power Research: Solar data solutions to maximize PV project performance.Energy Storage North America Special 2018.The smarter E Europe 2019 special edition. Market overview: Microgrid control systems.Market overview: Large-scale storage systems.
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