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
140400* -- Solar Energy-- Environmental Aspects
140600 -- Solar Energy-- Photovoltaic Power Systems
ACCIDENTS
ANTIREFLECTION COATINGS
ARSENIC
ARSENIC COMPOUNDS
ARSENIDES
CADMIUM
CADMIUM COMPOUNDS
CADMIUM SULFIDE SOLAR CELLS
CADMIUM SULFIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
COATINGS
CONDUCTOR DEVICES
CONNECTORS
CRYSTAL GROWTH
DEPOSITION
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
ELECTRIC CONTACTS
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
ELEMENTS
ENCAPSULATION
EQUIPMENT
ETCHING
FABRICATION
GALLIUM
GALLIUM ARSENIDE SOLAR CELLS
GALLIUM ARSENIDES
GALLIUM COMPOUNDS
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
INJURIES
INORGANIC PHOSPHORS
MANUFACTURING
MATHEMATICS
METALS
MINING
MORTALITY
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHOSPHORS
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
PNICTIDES
PROCESSING
PRODUCTION
PURIFICATION
QUARTZ
REFINING
SAFETY
SEMIMETALS
SILICON
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SILICON OXIDES
SILICON SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
STATISTICS
SULFIDES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SURFACE FINISHING
TOXICITY