When it comes to recycling solar panels, the reality is more complicated than taking them apart and reusing their components. The recycling processes currently operating are inefficient, not to mention, the cost of material recovery is prohibitively high. At this price point, it's understandable if you'd rather buy a new panel entirely. But there are incentives to optimize solar panel recycling—reducing the environmental impact of manufacturing emissions, lowering costs, and keeping toxic e-waste out of landfills. With the rapid development of solar technology, proper solar panel processing and recycling have become an integral part of the solar market.
What are solar panels made of?
Silicon-based solar panels Are solar panels recyclable? The answer depends on what your solar panels are made of. To do this, you must know something about the two main types of solar panels. Silicon is by far the most commonly used semiconductor in making solar cells. It accounts for more than 95% of the modules sold to date and is the second most abundant material found on Earth, followed by oxygen. Crystalline silicon cells are made from silicon atoms interconnected in a crystal lattice. This lattice provides an organized structure that allows light energy to be converted into electrical energy more efficiently. Solar cells made from silicon offer a combination of low cost, high efficiency and long life, as the modules are expected to last 25 years or more, producing more than 80% of the original power. Thin Film Solar Panels Thin film solar cells are made by depositing a thin layer of PV material on a support material such as plastic, glass or metal. There are two main types of thin-film photovoltaic semiconductors: copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) and cadmium telluride (CdTe). They can all be deposited directly on the front or back of the module surface. CdTe happens to be the second most common photovoltaic material after silicon, and its cells can be made using low-cost manufacturing processes. The catch is that they're not as efficient as good ol' silicon. As for CIGS cells, they have the best properties of PV materials with high efficiency in the laboratory, but the complexity of combining 4 elements makes the transition from the laboratory to the manufacturing stage more challenging. Both CdTe and CIGS require more protection than silicon to ensure long-lasting operation.
How long do solar panels last?
Most residential solar panels operate for no less than 25 years before they begin to degrade significantly. Even after 25 years, your panels should be outputting power at 80% of their original rate. Therefore, your solar panels will continue to convert sunlight into solar energy, they will just become less efficient over time. It's unheard of for a solar panel to stop working entirely, but be aware that degradation is usually enough to consider replacement. In addition to time-based functional degradation, there are other factors that can affect the efficiency of solar panels. The bottom line is, the longer your solar panels are effectively producing electricity, the more money you save.
Photovoltaic waste – looking at the numbers
According to Sam Vanderhoof of Recycle PV Solar, 10% of solar panels are currently recycled, with 90% going into landfill. This number is expected to reach equilibrium as the field of solar panel recycling is making new technological leaps. Here are some numbers to consider:
The top 5 countries are expected to generate nearly 78 million tons of solar panel waste by 2050
Recycling solar panels costs between $15 and $45
Disposal of solar panels in non-hazardous landfills costs nearly $1
The cost of disposing of hazardous waste in a landfill is approximately $5
Materials recycled from solar panels could be worth around $450 million by 2030
By 2050, the value of all recycled materials could exceed $15 billion.
The use of solar energy continues to grow, and it is not far-fetched that all new homes will be equipped with solar panels in the distant future. Recycling valuable materials, including silver and silicon, from solar panels requires customized solar panel recycling solutions. Failure to develop these solutions, coupled with policies to support their widespread adoption, is a recipe for disaster.
Can solar panels be recycled?
Solar panels are often made from recyclable or reusable materials. Components such as glass and certain metals make up about 80% of a solar panel's mass and are relatively easy to recycle. Likewise, the polymers and electronic components in solar panels can be recycled. But the reality of solar panel recycling is more complicated than taking them apart and reusing their components. The recycling processes currently in use are not efficient. This means the cost of recycling the material may be higher than the cost of manufacturing new panels.
Concerns about complex mixtures of materials
Nearly 95% of solar panels sold today are made from crystalline silicon, and photovoltaic cells are made from silicon semiconductors. They are designed to withstand the elements for decades. Solar panels are made from interconnected photovoltaic cells encapsulated in plastic and then sandwiched between glass and a backsheet. A typical panel consists of a metal frame (usually aluminum) and exterior copper wire. Crystalline silicon panels are primarily made of glass, but also include silicon, copper, trace amounts of silver, tin, lead, plastic and aluminum. While solar panel recycling companies can separate the aluminum frame and exterior copper wire, the photovoltaic cells are encapsulated in layers and layers of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) plastic and then bonded to the glass. Therefore, additional processes are required to recover silver, high-purity silicon and copper from the wafers.
How to recycle solar panels?
If you're wondering how they recycle solar panels, there's a way to go about it. Plastic, glass and metal – the basic building blocks of solar panels – can be recycled individually, but within a functional solar panel, these materials combine to form a single product. The real challenge therefore lies in separating the components to recycle them efficiently, while also addressing the silicon cells that require more specialized recycling procedures. Regardless of the panel type, junction boxes, cables and frames must be removed first. Panels composed of silicon are typically shredded or crushed, and the material is mechanically separated depending on the type of material and then sent to different recycling processes. In some cases, chemical separation called delamination is required to remove polymer layers from semiconductor and glass materials. Components such as copper, silver, aluminum, silicon, insulated cables, glass and silicon can be mechanically or chemically separated and recycled, but recycling CdTe solar panel components is a bit more complicated than components made solely from silicon. It involves physical and chemical separation followed by metal precipitation. Other processes involve thermally burning polymers or pulling components apart. "Hot knife" technology separates the glass from the solar cells by slicing through the panels with a long steel blade heated to 356 to 392 degrees Fahrenheit.
Importance of second-generation solar panel market for photovoltaic waste reduction
Refurbished solar panels sell for much cheaper than new panels, which goes a long way toward reducing solar waste. Since the amount of semiconductor material required for batteries is limited, the main advantage is low manufacturing and raw material costs. "Unbroken panels always have someone willing to buy them and reuse them somewhere in the world," explains Jay Granat, owner of Jay's Energy Equipment. Second-generation solar panels are an attractive market in terms of photovoltaic waste reduction for solar panels that are as efficient as new solar panels at a favorable price.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that when it comes to solar panel recycling, it's not an easy task and there are many complexities involved in the process. But that doesn’t mean we can ignore PV recycling and let them go to waste in landfills. We should be more environmentally friendly with solar panel recycling just for selfish reasons, if for no other reason.In the long run, we will take care of our livelihood by treating solar panel processing with sincerity
Post time: Apr-07-2024