Nf3 Solar Panels

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.

Nf3 solar panels.

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. Sf6 is 23 900 times more potent. Stanford magazine also points out that solar energy has a higher carbon footprint than wind and nuclear energy. 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.

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. It s true that solar panel production will decrease over time just like any other energy producing asset. On lubos motls the reference framehe has as pointed out that a greenhouse gas emitted during the production of solar panels and hdtvs nitrogen trifluoride nf3 that is used for cleaning the electronics is about 17 000 times more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. 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. 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. In these applications nf 3 is initially broken down in situ by a plasma. Solar panels lose production capacity year after year but your payments will go on way longer no matter what.

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. Amorphous silicon thin film solar photovoltaic cells manufactured using nf3 are slightly less efficient than crystalline silicon solar cells the dominant technology. We conclude that f gas usage has a substantial environmental impact on both module types it s all the f gases. 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.

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. Nitrogen trifluoride is used in the plasma etching of silicon wafers. Every panel on our platform is warranted at least 85 as productive as day 1 after 25 years.