Environmental, health and safety issues related to commercializing CuInSe{sub 2}-based photovoltaics

Technical Report · Mon Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1996

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/373859· OSTI ID:373859

Eberspacher, C ^[1]; Fthenakis, V M; Moskowtiz, P D ^[2]

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1. UNISUN, Newbury Park, CA (United States)
2. Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)

Photovoltaics technology is rapidly evolving towards a new generation of low-cost thin film technologies. One of the most promising materials in this new generation is copper indium selenide (CuInSe{sub 2} or CIS). As with any new material, successful commercialization of CIS photovoltaic (PV) technology will require attention to environmental, health and safety issues, including consideration of the sources, usage, and end-of-product-life disposal and/or recycling of the constituent materials. This work focuses on three specific environmental, health and safety (EH and S) issues related to CIS PV: (1) economics are analyzed to determine their impact on materials use and re-use; (2) Federal and California State environmental disposal and waste handling regulations are analyzed to evaluate their impact on PV module manufacturing and end-of-life module handling; and (3) the logistics and economics of product recycling and waste disposal by industries with comparable EH and S issues are examined to quantify the corresponding options available for handling, disposing of and/or recycling manufacturing by-products and end-of-life modules.

• Research Organization: Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76CH00016
• OSTI ID: 373859
• Report Number(s): BNL--63334; ON: DE96014890
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
COMMERCIALIZATION
COPPER SELENIDE SOLAR CELLS
ECONOMIC IMPACT
HEALTH HAZARDS
INDIUM SELENIDE SOLAR CELLS
PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER SUPPLIES
POLLUTION REGULATIONS
RECYCLING
WASTE MANAGEMENT