A new type of glass containing cadmium telluride that can be used as a solar panel has been installed on several buildings in Chengdu. The glass works on low-light or low-temperature days, which limited the usefulness of earlier generation solar panels.

A building curtain wall made of cadmium telluride glass, seen here in Chengdu on Wednesday, October 10, 2018. [Photo: VCG]

The environmentally-friendly and recyclable glass panels can be used in place of bricks and ordinary building curtain walls.

The glass installed on selected buildings in Chengdu can generate enough electricity to meet around 20-30 percent of the building's energy needs.

In April this year, the glass went into mass production for the first time.