What are gallium arsenide solar cells?

Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) solar cells are a specialized type of photovoltaic technology known for exceptional semiconductor properties. There are several key advantages of thin-film panels, despite demonstrating lower efficiency compared to traditional panels.

What are gallium arsenide thin-film solar panels?

Gallium arsenide (GaAs) thin-film solar panels are unique thin-film panels specially designed to operate in harsh environments and resist degradation. A costly technology, GaAs holds a world record 28.9% efficiency for all single-junction solar cells.

What are cadmium telluride solar panels?

Cadmium telluride (CdTe) solar panels are the most popular type of thin-film technology. These panels comprise several thin layers: one main renewable energy-producing layer made from the compound cadmium telluride and surrounding layers for electricity conduction and collection.

Who made the first gallium arsenide solar panel?

The first Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) thin-film solar panel was made by Zhores Alferov and his students in 1970. The team persisted to create the gallium arsenide semiconductor, until they made a breakthrough in 1967, three years later they created the first gallium arsenide (GaAs) solar cell.

Are cadmium telluride panels better than amorphous solar panels?

Like amorphous panels, cadmium telluride panels come at lower efficiencies than other solar panels. Sitting around 10-11%, CdTe panels are above the efficiencies of amorphous panels but still don't come close to the average efficiencies of standard silicon panels.

Is cadmium telluride a carcinogen?

These numbers should continue to shrink until lead is removed from the solar supply chain. The other toxic material, cadmium telluride (CdTe), is a known carcinogen that is used in a specialized type of solar called thin film.