Estimates of occupational safety and health impacts resulting from large-scale production of major photovoltaic technologies
The purpose of this study is to estimate both quantitatively and qualitatively, the worker and societal risks attributable to four photovoltaic cell (solar cell) production processes. Quantitative risk values were determined by use of statistics from the California semiconductor industry. The qualitative risk assessment was performed using a variety of both governmental and private sources of data. The occupational health statistics derived from the semiconductor industry were used to predict injury and fatality levels associated with photovoltaic cell manufacturing. The use of these statistics to characterize the two silicon processes described herein is defensible from the standpoint that many of the same process steps and materials are used in both the semiconductor and photovoltaic industries. These health statistics are less applicable to the gallium arsenide and cadmium sulfide manufacturing processes, primarily because of differences in the materials utilized. Although such differences tend to discourage any absolute comparisons among the four photovoltaic cell production processes, certain relative comparisons are warranted. To facilitate a risk comparison of the four processes, the number and severity of process-related chemical hazards were assessed. This qualitative hazard assessment addresses both the relative toxicity and the exposure potential of substances in the workplace. In addition to the worker-related hazards, estimates of process-related emissions and wastes are also provided.
- Research Organization:
- Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (USA). National Center for Analysis of Energy Systems; PEDCo-Environmental, Inc., Cincinnati, OH (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-76CH00016
- OSTI ID:
- 6578892
- Report Number(s):
- BNL-51324
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
HEALTH HAZARDS
MANUFACTURING
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
ACCIDENTS
ANTIREFLECTION COATINGS
ARSENIC
CADMIUM
CADMIUM SULFIDE SOLAR CELLS
CADMIUM SULFIDES
CONNECTORS
CRYSTAL GROWTH
DEPOSITION
ELECTRIC CONTACTS
ENCAPSULATION
ETCHING
FABRICATION
GALLIUM
GALLIUM ARSENIDE SOLAR CELLS
GALLIUM ARSENIDES
INJURIES
MINING
MORTALITY
PROCESSING
PRODUCTION
PURIFICATION
QUARTZ
REFINING
SILICON
SILICON SOLAR CELLS
STATISTICS
TOXICITY
ARSENIC COMPOUNDS
ARSENIDES
CADMIUM COMPOUNDS
CHALCOGENIDES
COATINGS
CONDUCTOR DEVICES
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
ELEMENTS
EQUIPMENT
GALLIUM COMPOUNDS
HAZARDS
INORGANIC PHOSPHORS
MATHEMATICS
METALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHOSPHORS
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
PNICTIDES
SAFETY
SEMIMETALS
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SILICON OXIDES
SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SULFIDES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SURFACE FINISHING
140400* - Solar Energy- Environmental Aspects
140600 - Solar Energy- Photovoltaic Power Systems