Cd per kW: 70 g/kW
Cd per MW: 70 kg/MW
Cd per GW: 70 metric tons (MT)/GW
Cd in a module per kWh: 0.001 g/kWh
Cd per MWh: 1 g/MWh
Cd per GWh: 1 kg/GWh
CdTe modules occupying 1 m2 (10.7 ft2) contain less Cd than one size-C NiCd flashlight battery.
Size AA: 3.3 g in the form of metal Cd and Cd (OH)2
Size C: 10.5 g
Size D: 21 g
References
Horn, G. (April 1988). "Recycling of NiCd batteries: some practical aspects." Nickel-Cadmium Battery Update Seminar, pp. 56-58, Paris, published by the Cadmium Association, London, UK.
Steatite Group, The. "A comprehensive range of industry-proven NiCd batteries." Accessed January 6, 2003.
But to change the world's energy infrastructure with CdTe PV, much less Cd than is already used for other purposes would be needed, and it might not impact the overall smelting of Cd at all! In fact, it would provide a beneficial use of Cd that could otherwise be cemented or end up in a waste dump.
Why? Using only 3% of the U.S. consumption of cadmium in the manufacture of CdTe solar cells (i.e., 78 tons) would generate more than 1 GW of new PV per year. Note that the total current PV capacity in the United States is only 0.3 GW and is projected to grow (under optimistic assumptions) to about 3.2 GW/yr by the year 2020. Even if we envision an order of magnitude higher PV production, this would require only about one-third of the current U.S. Cd consumption. The result would be new solar energy of 10 GW/year, which would quickly accumulate and significantly change the mix of electricity sources in the United States and abroad, preventing carbon dioxide and other emissions.References
Anderson, B. A. (2000). Materials availability for large-scale thin film photovoltaics. Progress in Photovoltaics, 8, pp. 61-76.
Cadmium Market Update Analysis and Outlook. (1995). Roskill Information Services Ltd., London, UK.
CdTe modules encapsulate about 7 g/m2 (the range is from 3 to 10 g/m2) of Cd, mainly in the form of CdTe. The amount of Cd compounds in PV modules is proportional to the area of the module and the thickness of the CdTe and CdS layers. A one-square-meter area of CdTe one micron thick contains about 2.9 g of Cd. The same area of CdS contains about 3.7 g of Cd. Most CdTe layers are about 1-3 microns thick, and most CdS layers are about 0.2 microns thick. This means that the CdTe layer contains from 3 to 9 g/m2 Cd, and CdS contains less than 1 g/m2. It is expected that layer thickness will be reduced as research and development efforts continue, further reducing the amount of Cd compounds in the cells.
References
Anderson, B. A. (2000). "Materials availability for large-scale thin film photovoltaics." Progress in Photovoltaics, 8, pp. 61-76.
Zweibel, K. (1997). "Reducing ES&H impacts from thin film PV." Environmental Aspects of PV Power Systems, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
Zweibel, K. (1999). "Issues in thin film PV manufacturing cost reduction." Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 59, pp. 1-18.
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