Cadmium Telluride (CdTe)

About Cadmium Telluride: 

• It is a material made from the combination of two elements: Cadmium (Cd) and Tellurium (Te). 
• It is an odorless and black crystalline solid.
• Properties
  • It is insoluble in water but resolves in nitrate acid, and resulting oxidation in moisture air under long time exposure.
  • It has lowest carbon dioxide emissions, ozone depletion potential, human health effects, and particulate air pollution.
• Applications: It is considered a prospective material for the room temperature semiconductor detector application such as an infrared optical window and lens, thin film solar cell material.
  • CdTe is the second most common Photo Voltaic (PV) technology in the world, after silicon. 
  • It was one of five solar cell technologies on which the IIT scientists conducted a life-cycle assessment (LCA) to identify the most sustainable options for solar energy production in India.
  • The other four were mono-silicon, polysilicon, Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS), and Passivated Emitter & Rear Contact (PERC).

Q1: What is a photovoltaic (PV) cell?

It is commonly called a solar cell, is a nonmechanical device that converts sunlight directly into electricity. Some PV cells can convert artificial light into electricity. Sunlight is composed of photons, or particles of solar energy.

Source: IIT Mandi researchers assess environmental impact of solar cells: Here’s what they found