Nf3 Solar Panels

Another real concern is the vast increase in the use of nitrogen trifluoride nf3 in the construction of solar panels up 1 057 percent over the past 25 years.

Nf3 solar panels.

Stanford magazine also points out that solar energy has a higher carbon footprint than wind and nuclear energy. The production of solar panels in china entails nitrogen trifluoride nf3 and sulfur hexafluoride sf6 which are extremely potent heat trapping gases that leak out during the process. As recently as 2015 he explained that many manufacturers were still struggling to figure out how to contain its release into the atmosphere. Today nitrogen trifluoride is predominantly employed in the cleaning of the pecvd chambers in the high volume production of liquid crystal displays and silicon based thin film solar cells.

In these applications nf 3 is initially broken down in situ by a plasma. It s true that solar panel production will decrease over time just like any other energy producing asset. Ray weiss a professor of geochemistry at the scripps institution of oceanography explains that a number of solar panels release nitrogen trifluoride nf3 a chemical compound 17 000 times worse for the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Solar panels lose production capacity year after year but your payments will go on way longer no matter what.

Amorphous silicon thin film solar photovoltaic cells manufactured using nf3 are slightly less efficient than crystalline silicon solar cells the dominant technology. The switch to the new micromorph technology will result in a 60 85 increase in greenhouse gas emissions per generated kwh solar electricity in case of nf3 based clean processing and 15 100 when sf6 is used. Every panel on our platform is warranted at least 85 as productive as day 1 after 25 years. The un intergovernmental panel on climate change deems nf3 to be 17 200 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas meaning that even relatively minor quantities can have major impacts.

The gas nitrogen trifluoride or nf3 is a key chemical agent used to manufacture certain types of photovoltaic cells for solar panels as well as semiconductors and lcd flat screens. But they are cheaper to produce and expected to supply a rapidly increasing share of the solar market for both large scale and domestic applications. Nf3 has a greenhouse gas potency that is 16 600 times greater than co2. We conclude that f gas usage has a substantial environmental impact on both module types it s all the f gases.

The release contends that the solar is one of the leading emitters of hexafluoroethane c2f6 nitrogen trifluoride nf3 and sulfur hexafluoride sf6. But the claims that solar produces greenhouse gasses that are so harmful is alarmist at best and misleading considering that other energy sources produces these chemicals and in greater quantities. Sf6 is 23 900 times more potent.