[sdiy] Eu might be banning Vactrols and LDRs?? Cadmium in solar cells

[Cynthia Webster]

Amen Robin!

I agree and have always felt that the whole ROHS clamp-down was driven by
 the European Union as economic warfare against not only third world 
countries, but
against any competition from smaller companies everywhere.  Phillips 
developed the
non-ROHS technology first... and ~then~ coerced the EU into making it 
mandatory so
that they could have a jump on everyone else.  "You do Love the Earth, 
Don't you???"


Cynthia




Robin Whittle wrote:
> Hi Cynthia,
>
> You wrote:
>
>   
>> Is the chemistry of these anything like the chemistry of solar cells
>> that generate power?
>> Are they banning that which makes green power possible? Are there
>> alternatives?
>>     
>
> There is a prominent solar cell company:
>
>   http://www.firstsolar.com
>
> who make large area, low cost, low input energy cost, moderate efficiency
> solar cell panels with glass and cadmium-telluride.
>
>   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadmium_telluride_photovoltaics
>
> I assume that the cadmium falls foul of the EU ROHS laws, and I guess this
> is the reason for their elaborate collection and recycling plan.  The
> company was recently in the news because of plans to make a massive
> project in China.
>
>
> My impression of the ROHS regulations is that they are overzealous at
> best and possibly more driven by commercial attempts to exclude products
> from less developed countries.
>
> As long lead-acid batteries are used in cars, UPS systems, burglar alarms
> etc. there will be lead-acid batteries in landfills.  My guess is that
> these large amounts of elemental lead would dwarf the lead in the 60/40
> solder in discarded electronics.
>
> The whole idea of trying to make landfill contents compatible with
> drinking water seems nutty to me.  Metals are only part of the problem,
> and there are an unknown and unknowable number of pollutants in general
> rubbish.
>
>   - Robin
>
>
>