A cloud that had been hanging over thin-film PV manufacturers that use cadmium in the fabrication of solar modules has been lifted with the European Union exempting the hazardous substance from a ban due to the EU’s renewable energy targets.

A revised directive on hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment has now been ratified into law, clearly exempting the use of cadmium in solar modules.

The revised act will enter into force shortly after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU and must be transposed into national law within 18 months.