Potential Cd emissions from end-of-life CdTe PV

PURPOSE: Cadmium telluride photovoltaics (CdTe PV) have grown considerably in the last few years and are now a mainstream energy technology. Concern has been voiced regarding the potential impact caused by the dispersal of the Cd contained in the modules after they are decommissioned. This study pre...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The international journal of life cycle assessment 2012-02, Vol.17 (2), p.192-198
Main Authors: Raugei, Marco, Isasa, Marina, Fullana Palmer, Pere
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
batteries
Cadmium
Cadmium telluride
computer software
Earth and Environmental Science
Emissions
energy
Environment
Environmental Chemistry
Environmental Economics
Environmental Engineering/Biotechnology
inventories
Landfills
Lca for Energy Systems
Life cycle analysis
life cycle assessment
Municipal solid waste
Photovoltaic cells
Photovoltaics
Recycling
Waste disposal sites
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Summary:PURPOSE: Cadmium telluride photovoltaics (CdTe PV) have grown considerably in the last few years and are now a mainstream energy technology. Concern has been voiced regarding the potential impact caused by the dispersal of the Cd contained in the modules after they are decommissioned. This study presents a new comprehensive analysis of the end-of-life of CdTe PV and reports on the associated Cd emissions to air and water. METHODS: Three end-of-life scenarios were considered for CdTe PV. In the first one, 100% of the modules are collected and sent to recycling; in the other two, 85% of the modules are recycled, and the rest are assumed to be either treated as normal municipal solid waste or pre-selected and sent to landfills. All input and output data for module decommissioning and recycling were based on the information directly provided by the world-leading CdTe PV manufacturer (First Solar). The inventory modelling was performed with the GaBi life cycle analysis software package in conjunction with the Ecoinvent v.2 database. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: In all scenarios, end-of-life Cd emissions from CdTe PV were found to be relatively low, for instance when compared to those from NiCd batteries, when expressed per kilogram of Cd content. CONCLUSIONS: The on-going growth of CdTe PV is unlikely to produce a worrisome increase in the overall Cd emissions to the environment; principally thanks to the expected stringent control of the related Cd-containing waste flows.
ISSN:0948-3349
1614-7502
DOI:10.1007/s11367-011-0348-9