Seminário em Lisboa

SEMINÁRIOS

DEPARTAMENTO DE GEOLOGIA MARINHA/ INETI

(Alfragide)

AMANHÃ, 20 de Janeiro de 2009 às 14.00 horas

Dra. Fiona Raiser

(Departamento de Prospecção de Minérios Metálicos do INETI)

TITLE:

High-technology elements for thin-film photovoltaic (PV) applications: A demand-supply outlook on the basis of current energy and PV market growths scenarios

ABSTRACT:

Upgrading of solar cell technologies and improvement of production processes paired with stimulation by subsidy programs, helped thin-film PV technologies to step out of their marginal existence during the last few years. Regarded over a module lifetime period, thin-film PV systems are able to produce 20 to 30 times the energy required for their manufacturing. This means that thin-film PV is a feasible electricity generation method which can contribute significantly to the necessary transformation of today’s energy systems towards more sustainability.

However, as thin-film solar PV technologies are invariably high-tech element specific, for large-scale implementation it is imperative to understand the raw material limitations related to mass production.

This work provides estimations on the future raw material needs for the thin-film PV elements indium, selenium, tellurium, germanium and gallium. Data calculation for the established thin-film PV techniques (CIGS, CdTe, a-Si) has been carried out on the basis of current energy and PV market outlooks. Additionally, static depletion times for the elements in question have been determined. For indium, the static depletion time of 22 years shows that its supply is highly endangered, particularly if indium consumption for LCD and solar panel production stays on a high level or even increases. The situation for selenium, with a static depletion time of 53 years, is not much better.

Therefore, in addition to recycling, the fundamental way to enhance material supply is through intensified exploration for mineral deposits. Such exploration could focus in promising areas, where high-technology elements are already known to exist in ore deposits, e.g. the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB).

Pessoas a contactar para os seminários do DGM/INETI:

Pedro Ferreira
e-mail: pedro.ferreira@ineti.pt
Telf: 214 705 516

Mário Mil-Homens
e-mail: mario.milhomens@ineti.pt
Telf: 214 705 516