Is the cadmium telluride sector scaling up?

Especially, she noted, since the cadmium telluride sector is already scaling up. In June, the solar manufacturer First Solar said it would invest $680 million in a third cadmium telluride solar factory in northwest Ohio. When the facility is finished, in 2025, the company will be able to make 6 gigawatts’ worth of solar panels in the area.

What is cadmium telluride?

Cadmium telluride is a type of “thin film” solar cell, and, as that name suggests, it’s much thinner than a traditional silicon cell. Today, panels using cadmium telluride supply about 40 percent of the U.S. utility-scale market, and about 5 percent of the global solar market.

Will cadmium telluride solar power 1 million homes?

In June, the solar manufacturer First Solar said it would invest $680 million in a third cadmium telluride solar factory in northwest Ohio. When the facility is finished, in 2025, the company will be able to make 6 gigawatts’ worth of solar panels in the area. That’s enough to power roughly 1 million American homes.

Do solar panels use cadmium telluride?

Today, panels using cadmium telluride supply about 40 percent of the U.S. utility-scale market, and about 5 percent of the global solar market. And they stand to benefit from the headwinds facing the broader solar industry.

Do cadmium telluride panels use polysilicon?

Although cadmium telluride panels don’t use any polysilicon, First Solar has felt other challenges facing the industry, like pandemic-induced backlogs in the maritime shipping industry. In April, First Solar told investors that congestion at American ports was holding up panel shipments from its facilities in Asia.

Will cadmium telluride take more market share?

“It’s a very volatile time, especially for the crystalline silicon supply chain in general,” said Kelsey Goss, a solar research analyst for the energy consultancy group Wood Mackenzie. “There’s great potential for cadmium telluride manufacturers to take more market share in the coming year.”