Economic recycling of CdTe photovoltaic modules
- Solar Cells, Inc., Toledo, OH (United States)
While CdTe photovoltaics offer the promise of renewable, non-polluting, and low cost electricity generation, cadmium and cadmium compounds have well known toxicological properties that demand consideration of non-dispersive end-of-life module and manufacturing scrap disposal. With the support of a United States Department of Energy Small Business Innovation Research grant, Solar Cells Inc. has designed and installed a CdTe PV recycling pilot plant capable of processing 2 MW per shift per year of 60 x 120 cm modules, rated nominally at 50 W{sub p}. The primary process outputs are clean, salable glass cullet, cadmium carbonate, electrolytically refined tellurium, and clean ethylene-vinyl acetate. Cost modeling shows these recovered materials are achieved at a processing cost of US $0.04 per watt or less.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 302504
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-970953-; TRN: IM9904%%292
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 26. IEEE photovoltaic specialists conference, Anaheim, CA (United States), 29 Sep - 3 Oct 1997; Other Information: PBD: 1997; Related Information: Is Part Of Conference record of the twenty sixth IEEE photovoltaic specialists conference -- 1997; PB: 1477 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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