First Solar creates CdTe thin solar film panels

First solar has installed 3.7 million cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin film solar panels at the Antelope Valley Solar Ranch One. A very thin layer of CdTe allows the absorption of all the light needed to create electricity and this is the key to First Solar's cost-effective and efficient manufacturing. Those who are nearby residents of the facility are concerned with the hazardous effects of cadmium. However, First Solar Director of Environmental and Sustainable Development, Dr. Parikhit Sinha, stated to a gathering of local leaders that CdTe is one of the best semiconductors and is not the same thing as cadmium. Cadmium is highly toxic and carcinogenic and exposure can cause organ failure. CdTe is still potentially toxic, however, the way it is encapsulated in glass in First Solar panels limits the possibility of inhalation or ingestion exposure. First Solar's efforts to demonstrate the safety of its technology followed ongoing efforts to acknowledge the opportunity in solar power plant development.