Physicists predict significant growth for cadmium telluride photovoltaics

A team of scientists analyzes challenges and proposes corresponding research goals in new solar energy research published in the peer-reviewed journal Joule.

2026-01-27

(Press-News.org) A solar energy generation technology once considered limited in its potential is poised for significant growth in the United States.

That’s the conclusion of a team of scientists who analyzed the outlook for cadmium telluride photovoltaics in research published in the peer-reviewed journal Joule.

University of Toledo physicists including Dr. Michael Heben, a Distinguished University Professor and McMaster Chair and Director of the Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization, collaborated with partners at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Laboratory of the Rockies, the Missouri University of Science and Technology, Colorado State University, Sivananthan Labs and First Solar under the umbrella of Department of Energy’s Cadmium Telluride Accelerator Consortium.

Their analysis presents challenges and corresponding research goals that the team of scientists believe will bring this technology to a manufacturing capacity of 100 gigawatts by 2030.

“There are a lot of advantages to cadmium telluride,” Heben said. “They perform better in hot and humid climates than the silicon photovoltaics that currently dominate the industry, and because their manufacturing process leverages domestic supply chains, they’re less sensitive to import restrictions while supporting national energy security.”

Cadmium telluride photovoltaics are a category of thin-film solar cells that have long shown promise as a reliable, low-cost and high-efficiency alternative to the crystalline silicon modules that currently dominate the global solar energy industry.

Cadmium telluride solar cells are the only other photovoltaics to be manufactured at the gigawatt scale, enjoying a particular niche in utility-scale deployment. But comparatively lower power conversion efficiencies and supply chain challenges have limited their share of the total solar power generation portfolio in the United States to approximately 16%.

UToledo is deeply engaged in the research and development of cadmium telluride solar cells through its Wright Center, where physicists’ groundbreaking work on this and other thin-film photovoltaic technologies in large part accounts for UToledo’s rank in the top quarter of global universities in materials science by U.S. News & World Report.

First Solar, the world’s largest manufacturer of cadmium telluride solar panels with a major presence in northwest Ohio, notably traces its roots to early work completed in campus labs in the 1980s.

The Joule research makes a case for significant growth potential in cadmium telluride photovoltaics, taking into account factors like economic policies favoring domestic manufacturing and technological advancements improving power conversion efficiency.

“Cadmium telluride has much more room to grow in performance compared to silicon,” Heben said. “The technology is very reliable and predictable, while the energy conversion efficiency is constantly moving upward.”

Scientists also address technological and supply chain advancements related to the element tellurium. They credit the technological advancements with enabling more efficient extraction and utilization of this mining byproduct, and they cite economic and industry data to demonstrate that its availability is not proving to be the limiting growth factor that manufacturers once predicted it would be.

It all adds up to a promising outlook for cadmium telluride photovoltaics.

“This research is essentially a roadmap for further growing and expanding this technology,” Heben said.

END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Purdue team announces new therapeutic target for breast cancer

2026-01-27

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A Purdue University team led by Kyle Cottrell has discovered a new therapeutic target for triple-negative breast cancer. “Triple-negative breast cancer is a particularly deadly form of breast cancer that currently lacks targeted therapies,” said Cottrell, an assistant professor of biochemistry. Cottrell, biochemistry graduate student Addison Young and their co-authors describe the discovery in the journal RNA. The laboratory research spotlights double-stranded ribonucleic acid (dsRNA)-binding proteins. ...

‘Nudging’ both patients and providers boosts flu vaccine numbers

2026-01-27

PHILADELPPHIA—Patients were 28 percent more likely to get a flu shot when they got a text message reminder and their primary care provider already had an order for the shot waiting, new research from the Perelman School of Medicine showed. The study was published in JAMA Internal Medicine. “This is important given the rise in vaccine hesitancy, which has resulted in a downward trend in flu vaccination that coincided with a high rate of hospitalization this flu season,” said the study’s lead author, Shivan Mehta, MD, MBA, MSHP, associate chief innovation officer at Penn Medicine. “Many nudge interventions directed to patients only on vaccinations have shown ...

How do nature and nurture shape our immune cells?

2026-01-27

LA JOLLA (January 27, 2026)—The COVID-19 pandemic gave us tremendous perspective on how wildly symptoms and outcomes can vary between patients experiencing the same infection. How can two people infected by the same pathogen have such different responses? It largely comes down to variability in genetics (the genes you inherit) and life experience (your environmental, infection, and vaccination history). These two influences are imprinted on our cells through small molecular alterations called epigenetic changes, which shape cell identity ...

Speeding, hard braking reduced in insurance plans that base rates on driving behavior, offer rewards

2026-01-27

Drivers whose car insurance rates are based on data of their driving habits and who then also got tips about improving them were less likely to speed, brake hard, or rapidly accelerate than those who didn’t participate in the program, according to a recent test by a team from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Their work was published in Accident Analysis & Prevention. Speeding declined by up to 13 percent, and hard braking and rapid acceleration declined by up to 25 percent. In addition, drivers ...

Shared process underlies oral cancer pain and opioid tolerance

2026-01-27

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling in the tissue around oral cancers both increases nerve sensitivity and makes opioids less effective, according to new research published in Science Signaling. The findings point to a shared mechanism underlying both oral cancer pain and opioid tolerance—and a possible new treatment strategy for both. “Repurposing existing cancer drugs that block EGFR may be a promising way to manage oral cancer pain and prevent or reverse opioid tolerance,” said Yi Ye, PhD, associate professor at NYU College of Dentistry and associate ...

Claiming your business page on review platforms can have unintended effects on customer reviews, study shows

2026-01-27

Claiming a business page on an online review platform such as Yelp may result in a sharp decline in ratings and an increase in lengthy, negative customer feedback, according to a study from Florida International University. The study, led by Jong Youl Lee, assistant professor of information systems and business analytics at FIU’s College of Business, finds that once a business claims its Yelp page, its average rating falls by more than 10%, driven largely by an influx of one-star reviews and a decrease in five-star reviews. The shift is immediate and persistent, lasting more than a year ...

Inflammation and autoimmune-like dysfunction may play a role in heart failure

2026-01-27

HERSHEY, Pa. — When the heart’s muscle is weakened or injured due to a heart attack, it can make it hard for the heart to pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. Over time, it can lead to heart failure, where the heart’s function drops below 40%. The condition affects an estimated 6.7 million people over the age of 20 in the United State, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Approximately 50% of patients with heart failure die within five years ...

How too much of a good thing leads to neurodegenerative disease

2026-01-27

When it comes to neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and certain forms of dementia, researchers have known that protein quality control and damage to the nuclear pore are key players. However, how the two are connected has not been clear. Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and their colleagues have now identified the mechanism that links the two. The findings are published in the latest edition of Neuron. The nuclear pore, the largest protein complex in the cell, is made up of roughly 30 different proteins. It forms a tightly regulated channel, ...

UH psychologist explores reducing anxiety among survivors of sexual assault

2026-01-27

A psychologist at the University of Houston is providing guidance to improve the mental health of victims of sexual violence, recognized by major health organizations as a public health crisis with serious implications on victims’ physical, mental and reproductive health. Michael Zvolensky, Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished University Professor of psychology, led a team examining how the violence of a sexual assault can lead to a higher risk of lifelong challenges from post-traumatic stress disorder to alcohol use disorder. His findings are published in the Journal of Nervous and Mental ...

Project seeks to develop retinal screening for Alzheimer’s

2026-01-27

The human eye may literally become a window revealing the earliest signals of Alzheimer’s disease, thanks to a new federally funded research initiative at Oregon Health & Science University. The new five-year, $3.3 million award will enable OHSU scientists to develop an eye drop specially designed to detect the fluorescent signal of a protein associated with Alzheimer’s. Combined with the use of a noninvasive scanner, the research project could result in a low-cost, widely accessible screening tool to catch the earliest stage of the disease. “We’re looking for early-stage patients who don’t have ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: