How the Next Big Solar Panel Tech is Already Here

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Chapters
00:00 - Intro
00:45 - What is CdTe and Why Does it Matter?
05:12 - The History of CdTe and First Solar?
08:28 - Drawbacks and Challenges
11:52 - The Future of CdTe

[fuzzy-]

I'm a big fan from Lebanon, I love your videos Matt!

Solar saved our lives! We have 1 to 2h a day maximum of grid coverage so we just installed a 4kw solar setup and just cancelled the government grid.

We're saving a ton on bills, spending it elsewhere and living fully on green power :)

The setup is small, so we manually regulate things like on hours for fridge, etc..

[KyleMackenzie]

I like that it diversifies the supply chain for solar panels so that if there is disruption in silicon production we have mature alternatives.

[justaguy]

The cool thing about CdTe that you mentioned. They are waste products of 2 VERY widely used metals AND they both don't really have any other uses. So CdTe panels will always have a supply of raw material for not too much money.

[ahnilatedahnilated]

It always shocks me to see a solar panel manufacturer that doesn't have their solar panels all over the roofs of their buildings.

[markbooth]

I worked for a company in the noughties that made laser scribing machines. We built many machines for scribing and patterning thin film solar panels, back when the goal was a Dollar per watt, and thin film looked like the only way of achieving that. We only ever built one machine for producing Cadmium Telluride panels however.

Most of our machines had fairly robust dust extraction systems for removing ablated material, but for our CdTe machine we put more design time and effort into the extract system than the laser system itself. Like asbestos, CdTe isn't a problem when it's bonded within a panel, but as dust, it's nasty stuff.

By the way, while we would always write it as CdTe, we would say cad-tel rather than c-d-t-e.


I would say though that the efficiency of thin film solar does make it ideal for BIPV (Building Integrated PV) and I suspect that the same goes for vertical panel and agrivoltaic installations, where a the lower efficiency can be offset by the potential lower cost per watt when pure watt/sq.m yield is less important.

[loganhight]

Can confirm. I've been heavily involved using first solar CdTe panels for about 3 GW over the past four years. To take it a step further, First Solar specifically were huge since covid. Many of the biggest EPCs and utility companies in the country weren't able to get overseas manufactured panels, so they used First Solar. The downside with these is that compared to silicon based panels from overseas, you need a lot more copper wire for FS6 or FS7 panels. You can typically only hook up 6 or 7 FS panels in series. Most other panels are 20+ panels in series.

[maurobrattich]

Thank you, good news, as usual.
I am a early adopter of PV solar energy. In 1980 I installed my first PV panel on my boat. In 2007 I had a contractor putting one on my roof.
Back then the cost of panels was about $8 /watt. Nowadays it is possible to buy PV panels for about $0.75/watt in the US and $0.25/watt in Europe.
My first roof system is made with 32 Kyocera 175 Watt panels and two TRACE grid inverters.
Except for some inverter malfunctions, taken care under warranty, I had no issues and after 15 years the system still produce good power, peaking at 4.8 kw on a sunny day.
About 18 months ago, lured in by the California rebates, I installed an additional 4.8 kw system + 20 kWh storage batteries.
The new 12 panels have a nominal max power of 400 Watts and an efficiency of 0.22%. Each panel is coupled with a micro inverter capable of converting and transforming up to 290 Watts. This is because the smaller micro inverters are less expensive and have a better efficiency at lower power.
Each new panel/ micro inverter combination cost about $1, 500 installed, not cheap by any point of view.
My new system power peaks at only 2.9 kW in perfect Southern California conditions, well below the nominal 4.8 kW. It's cost, without going in details, is well above the expected, considering the large incentives from the government and the drastic reduction in pv price/Watt. The new tariffs on Chinese products will only increase the cost to the consumers.
I love my solar systems but the industry has been plagued from the beginning by false advertisement and less than reliable business owners, ready to take advantage of Government programs and consumers alike. Only there to make a quick $ and move on to the next gold mine.
Thank you.
Mauro

[Warppnt]

Initial thoughts after the intro: Cadmium is a real nasty substance and also rare, so we shouldn't really be using it in tech and mining and disposal chains that risk environmental contamination. Maybe if recycling chains were mandated by law to be maintained y the companies fabricating tech, and if severe (jail, hundreds of millions or billions in fines) penalties for improper disposal, and cleanup crews (storm or disaster damaged arrays) help as well, then maybe ... but I still think we should focus on tech that won't poison us so readily.

[nex]

Cut plastics from your life by ordering plastic bottle with one time use filters encapsulated in plastic you will have to replace

[SkepticalCaveman]

Making two toxic materials inert is win in itself. Price is more important than efficiency if space is available. Recycling is essential because of the materials. Interesting technology, though perovskite might win in the end anyway.

[crisaghemo]

"Just have a think" channel just posted a video stating that Perovskite cells have begun shipping to customers as of Sep 2024.

[comictrio]

I've never heard of Cadmium Telluride solar panels until this video. You provided very useful info about these panels. Great work.

[Skeptical_Numbat]

In my house, probably not. With the limited space I have on my roof for solar panels, that efficiency gap is going to be the key to getting my business. I'd also be concerned with the toxicity of microfragments from a damaged solar panel in a home environment - especially given how Cadmium acts as a heavy metal, making poisoning via the slow absorption of tiny quantities over time a possibility.

I'd certainly like to know more about how Cadmium Telluride Solar Cells stack up against Silicon Cells in the harsh environment of the Australian outback:
• Staggeringly hot temperatures reaching 60°C.
• Omnipresent exposure to the slightly conductive, fine red dust (composed of various Iron Oxides), which can both adhere to the panels with static charge to occlude the panels & get into (unprotected) essential circuitry, causing shorts.

[kristianharder]

The difference between CdTe and table salt is, we don't have to ship truckloads of nasty Na and tankers full of cleansing Cl across the country to make our nice benign compound. Any site where Cadmium emerges as a (by)product is a potential problem.

[MrArtist]

Having worked in the utility silicon solar industry for many years, I can assure everyone, CdTe won’t catch silicon as it’s efficiency will always remain much lower and cost, much higher, and silicon modules are starting to overlay transparent thin film over silicon modules now, called HJT cells, to offer: 32-40% efficiencies. It’s all about price in utility modules and silicon is almost 1/2 the price of CdTe. Cadmium modules have been saying for many years that they’ll increase efficiency, and it doesn’t happen.

[amdreallyfast]

Glad you covered the recycling. Material reclaimation is important for the long term future

[TheRealMrGordons]

Can't believe I got here with the video uploaded 32 seconds ago. What a treat to get my coffee break at the same time as some of my favourite media. I love just have a think and undecided I actually rewatch some of the videos especially the one on Hydrothermal carbonization and would love an update and expansion on that project and similar projects. Thank you undecided

[rodgerbrayfindley]

This was very useful. Thanks for the intro to Cadmium Telluride

[eclipsemn]

7:27 This gave me flashbacks. I've made 4 of these. It looks the same so I assume it's the same. It's a standard for testing glass and I despise it for how it can deform so easily. Anyways, it's quite literally a punching bag filled will 100lbs of lead shot. The kicker is that the back is full at around 80lbs and it takes a long time to pack more in to get it to near 100lbs. The bag is then taped with glass tape, and then you stop once it reaches 100lbs. ugh.... I honestly didn't know about CdTe and love the way you explained it Matt!

[brianrockwell]

I have solar on my house. Love it so far. I looked into First Solar as a U.S. made product for a fun little project on the side. On the site I was looking at they discouraged "home usage" First Solar is more focused on commercial sites, their point was the panels have to be larger for same output. Makes sense. I think they also mentioned better efficiency at lower light levels. So more on cloudy days than silicon.