Environmentally responsible production, use and disposition of Cd-bearing PV modules

Author

Sasala, Richard A. ; Zhou, Theodore ; Kocher, Walter M.

Author_Institution

Soalr Cells Inc., Toledo, OH, USA

Volume

1

fYear

1994

fDate

5-9 Dec 1994

Firstpage

311

Abstract

Cadmium telluride (CdTe) has many physical properties which contribute to its great promise as a solar cell material. In order to fully develop its market potential, however, it is critical that any concerns of an environmental nature be fully addressed. In this paper, a method is presented that simply and safely deals with off-specification modules and process by-products at an estimated cost of $0.05/watt or less. The method includes an acid etch of the CdTe substrates and further recovery by means of an ion exchange process

Keywords

II-VI semiconductors; cadmium compounds; etching; ion exchange; recycling; solar cell arrays; solar cells; CdTe; CdTe solar cell modules; CdTe substrates; acid etch; environmentally responsible disposition; environmentally responsible production; environmentally responsible use; extraction fluid treatment; glass stripping; ion exchange process; off-specification modules; process by-products; recycling experiments; solar cell material; Cadmium compounds; Costs; Etching; Health and safety; Medical tests; Personnel; Photovoltaic cells; Production; Recycling; Testing;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Photovoltaic Energy Conversion, 1994., Conference Record of the Twenty Fourth. IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference - 1994, 1994 IEEE First World Conference on

Conference_Location

Waikoloa, HI

Print_ISBN

0-7803-1460-3

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/WCPEC.1994.519870

Filename

519870