What are CdTe (Cadmium Telluride ) Thin Film Solar Cells? Are These Commercially Available?

 

This question is part of the Super Big Solar Panel FAQ from Solar Mango, where expert answers to over 100 important questions on solar panels are provided.

 

Cadmium telluride (CdTe) is a stable crystalline compound formed from cadmium and tellurium. It is mainly used as the semiconducting material in cadmium telluride photovoltaics. It is usually sandwiched with cadmium sulfide to form a p-n junction solar PV cell.

CdTe is one of the prominent compound used to make a thin film solar cell.

Yes, CdTe thin film solar modules are commercially available for deployment. In fact, in the first 1000 MW of solar power plants installed in India, First Solar’s CdTe solar modules had a significant share of the deployment,

One of the world’s most prominent solar cell maker, First Solar, makes solar cells/modules based on CdTe. It is worthwhile noting that CdTe modules from First Solar have been reporting significant increases in efficiency in the past few years, and as of mid 2016, First Solar had reported a highest efficiency of 17% for CdTe based thin film solar modules.

Super Big Solar Panel FAQGet to know answers to over 100 important questions on solar panels from here.

 

Source: CdTe Solar Cell from Solar Mango’s Solar Dictionary

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4 thoughts on “What are CdTe (Cadmium Telluride ) Thin Film Solar Cells? Are These Commercially Available?

  1. Pingback: What is a Transparent Solar Cell? And What are Its Advantages Over Conventional Cells? - Solar Mango – #1 guide for solar

  2. Pingback: What are Heterojunction Solar Cells? Are these Commercially Available? - Solar Mango – #1 guide for solar

  3. Pingback: What are Multi-junction Solar Cells? How are They Different from Conventional Solar Cells? - Solar Mango – #1 guide for solar

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