Solar
Lighting
• A small 10-W CdTe solar panel running two 3-W LEDs can provide a better quality of life than a kerosene lamp.
• The cost is around $50, equivalent to 1.5-2 years of kerosene.
• CdTe band gap is well matched to the solar spectrum.
• Lower CdTe production costs can balance out lower efficiency.
• For rooftop applications, glass is difficult to beat. It must be transparent, even after 20 or more years of exposure to UV light in the outdoors.