The Elements of Innovation Discovered
The Elements of Innovation Discovered
Metal Tech News – August 10, 2022
Cadmium telluride solar panels produced by First Solar Inc.
Copper telluride filter cake, the finished product from Rio Tinto's Kennecott Tellurium Plant, will be further refined into the tellurium needed for CdTe panels produced by First Solar.
Increasing federal backing of American-made thin-film solar technologies is likely to increase the demand for tellurium, a key ingredient of cadmium telluride (CdTe) solar cells.
Tellurium is a metalloid, one of seven elements with properties that fall between metals like aluminum and tin and non-metals like carbon and phosphorus. These semimetals, which also include silicon and germanium, have natural semiconductive qualities that make them ideal ingredients for photovoltaic solar cells.
While silicon remains the dominant metalloid used in the production of photovoltaic solar cells, CdTe thin-film cells are increasing in popularity due to lower manufacturing costs and higher thermal stability.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Energy launched the Cadmium Telluride Accelerator Consortium – a $20 million initiative designed to make cadmium telluride solar cells less expensive, more efficient, and develop new markets for this American technology.
DOE says the technological advancements that come out of this consortium will make America's clean energy future less reliant on other nations by bolstering domestic innovation and manufacturing capacity.
"As solar continues its reign as one of the cheapest forms of energy powering our homes and businesses, we are committed to a solar future that is built by American workers," said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm.
CdTe solar consortium
Led by the University of Toledo, the Cadmium Telluride Accelerator Consortium includes Ohio-based First Solar Inc., the world's largest CdTe solar panel manufacturer.
"Our world requires scientific innovation to address the inefficient ways we find, produce and consume energy," said University of Toledo President Gregory Postel. "The University of Toledo is proud to help power the future by leading this consortium that leverages our expertise in solar energy research and commercialization and strengthens our partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy and other leaders in this important and growing field."
Toward the ultimate goal of making CdTe solar technology cheaper and more efficient, the consortium plans to research new strategies for bringing in other metals that increase efficiency, exploring new CdTe contacting materials, and work on bifacial CdTe modules that absorb light from both the front and back.
"While already enjoying great success in the marketplace, recent scientific developments make it clear that CdTe PV has significantly more potential for dramatically higher module efficiency, lower cost, increased lifetime energy, and more rapid production," said Martin Keller, lab director at DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
First Solar, which is experiencing enormous demand for the CdTe solar panels it manufactures in Ohio, will likely incorporate findings from this research into next-generation modules.
Having already invested more than $2 billion into its U.S. facilities, First Solar is investing another $680 million to roughly double its manufacturing capacity in Ohio to six gigawatts of CdTe thin film solar panels per year.
Once running at full capacity, the expanded First Solar manufacturing complex is expected to directly employ over 2,500 people in Ohio, while supporting an estimated 15,000 indirect jobs through its American supply chain.
DOE hopes further efficiencies will help to add to these jobs while also supporting the Biden administration's clean energy goals
"DOE is proud to partner with leading solar researchers and companies to chart the future of CdTe technology, which presents an immense opportunity for domestic manufacturers to help ensure our nation's security while providing family-sustaining jobs," said Granholm.
U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, looks forward to further jobs in the Buckeye State.
"To move America forward, we need an all-of-the-above strategy that propels our energy independence, lowers costs, and creates good-paying jobs. Northern Ohio has already revolutionized the field of solar technology," she said. "Now, through this remarkable partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy, the University of Toledo, and First Solar – our region will become a hub of next-generation energy innovation that is built right here at home by Ohio's workers."
More U.S. tellurium
The increased popularity of CdTe thin film solar photovoltaic cells driven by First Solar's success and DOE's backing is driving increased demand for tellurium, one of the scarcest stable elements on the periodic table.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, CdTe photovoltaic cells are the top use of tellurium in the United States, accounting for 40% of domestic use in 2021 and climbing.
The balance went into bismuth-telluride thermoelectric devices for cooling and energy generation, alloying additives to improve the machining characteristics of steel, and as a vulcanizing agent and accelerator in the processing of rubber.
America was dependent on imports for 95% of this critical metalloid during 2021
Like many other critical minerals, China dominates tellurium production, accounting for nearly 60% of the roughly 580 metric tons of tellurium recovered globally last year.
Seeing the growing need for domestic supplies of tellurium, Rio Tinto invested approximately $2.9 million to build a plant capable of recovering roughly 20 metric tons of this semiconductive metalloid as a byproduct of the copper produced at its Kennecott Mine in Utah.
"We are proud to deliver a new domestic supply of tellurium to support the manufacturing of solar panels and other critical equipment here in the United States," Rio Tinto Copper Chief Operating Officer Clayton Walker said upon the start up of this facility earlier this year.
The global mining company says First Solar will be the primary customer for the tellurium being produced at its world-class copper mine in Utah.
"Rio Tinto's decision to invest in tellurium is a win for responsibly-produced, American solar," said First Solar Chief Manufacturing Operations Officer Mike Koralewski. "We're thrilled that tellurium from Kennecott will play a role in powering our country's transition to a sustainable energy future."
In addition to recovering tellurium as a byproduct of copper refining, a growing number of companies are exploring for this increasingly important metalloid that is associated with gold deposits in Alaska, Colorado, Northwest Territories, and Ontario.
With more than 16 years of covering mining, Shane is renowned for his insights and and in-depth analysis of mining, mineral exploration and technology metals.
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