CdTe, like the First Solar technology, is vapour deposited onto the glass panels to make the actual cells.

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It has an inherent competitive advantage due to its use of Cadmium Tellurium (CdTe) in its panels instead of crystalline silicon (polysilicon) used by almost all its competitors.

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The CdTe technology spearheaded by First Solar is considered by the EPIA as the most economical thin film technology recorded efficiency levels of up to 11% in 2010.

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In some cells (like the thin film CdTe ones) the target metals are indeed in a thin film which could conceivably be washed off with the right reagent.

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Just last week, GE Energy (NYSE:GE) laid off workers and put expansion plans at their Colorado factory on hold for at least 18 months while they try to improve the Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) thin film solar technology they plan to produce there.

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