What is cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film solar technology?

Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) thin-film solar technology was introduced to the world in 1972 by Bonnet, D. and Rabenhorst, H. when they evaluated a Cadmium sulfide (CdS)/CdTe heterojunction which delivered a 6% efficiency. The technology has been improved to reduce manufacturing costs and increase efficiency.

What are cadmium telluride solar panels?

Cadmium telluride (CdTe) solar panels are the most popular type of thin-film technology. These panels comprise several thin layers: one main renewable energy-producing layer made from the compound cadmium telluride and surrounding layers for electricity conduction and collection.

What is CdTe (cadmium telluride) solar panel?

The CdTe (Cadmium Telluride) solar panel is an important branch of thin-film solar technology. Some of its advantages compared to traditional c-Si panels have led to its ever-growing adoption in industrial, commercial, as well as residential segments, representing around 5-6% of the global panel market share.

What is cadmium telluride PV?

Cadmium telluride PV is the only thin film technology with lower costs than conventional solar cells made of crystalline silicon in multi-kilowatt systems.

What are the best thin-film solar panels?

Cadmium Telluride solar panels are the most popular thin-film solar panels available in the market. These represent around 5% of the solar panels in the world market and come only second to crystalline silicon panels. CdTe thin-film solar panels are so popular because they are easy and not expensive to manufacture, making them ideal for investors.

How efficient are CdTe thin-film solar panels?

CdTe panels have an average efficiency of 19%, but laboratory tests performed by First Solar, have achieved record efficiencies of 22.1% for CdTe solar cells. Understanding CdTe thin-film solar panels, is vital to know the true advantages and possible applications for these thin-film solar panels.