The long-standing record for electricity produced by solar cells made from cadmium telluride has been broken by researchers working at the US department of energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Cadmium telluride is used in one of the most promising technologies, called the 'thin film solar cells'. In the thin film manufacturing process, layers of differing electricity-producing materials are applied sequentially to a glass, plastic or steel backing. Many experts believe thin film cells are the technology of the future, because thin films use materials that are less expensive than the materials used in earlier, conventional solar panels.
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