An uptick in the usage of tellurium in key downstream industry, such as thin-film solar photovoltaic and infrared detection, will continue to lend support to the international and domestic Chinese tellurium markets, speakers told delegates at the 2018 Chinese Minor Metals Forum in Kunming.
Global production of solar photovoltaics is estimated at 98 gigawatts in 2017, of which 2.3 gigawatts came from cadmium telluride (CdTe) - a subdivision of thin-firm solar photovoltaic consisting of tellurium and cadmium, Tian Xiong told conference delegates on November 28. Around 130-140 tonnes of tellurium is consumed to produce 1 gigawatt from cadmium telluride, according to a market source. "It is estimated that around 300-400 tonnes of tellurium will be consumed in the solar photovoltaic industry globally this year," a trader said on the sidelines of the conference. Announcements this year from the world's largest solar modules producer, First Solar, have boosted sentiment for tellurium demand...