Rare Earth Minerals Solar Panels

Aluminum and rare earth elements.

Rare earth minerals solar panels. Thin film pv technologies for example contain potentially critical metals such as tellurium. Of the commonly used batteries only nickel metal hydride nimh batteries contain a rare earth alloy on the cathode but. Typical wind turbine and major components aluminum. Experts have found that the rare metals required to build solar panels such as indium and tellurium are not in sufficient supply to keep up with demand.

Wind turbines increasingly dot the american landscape rising hundreds of feet in the air to capture electricity from the movement of the wind. Just like solar cells wind turbines also rely on a few mineral commodities that have been designated as critical. However recent research coming out of the netherlands has spotted a red flag to relying on solar panels as a panacea for global emissions problems. This means that global production of several rare earth minerals used.

However a lack of rare earths does not mean that the components of solar modules are harmless.