Solar panels offer a more environmentally friendly way to generate electricity. However, recycling dead panels is difficult and expensive. In Australia, tens of thousands of dead panels end up in landfills. But now, there is a group of scientists who have a solution.
Recycling solar panels is not easy. First of all, the panel must be parsed. After that, the components must be separated. Both of these things take a long time and are expensive.
John Polhill, manager of infrastructure partnerships Sustainability Victoria, said throwing the panels in landfill would be cheaper than getting them working again.
Anthony Vippond, CEO of Lotus Energy, explained, “Solar panels are meant to be a product related to renewable energy, a sustainable product. Taking advantage of solar panels is probably more important than any other product.”
The use of solar panels as an alternative power source for electricity generation in Australia. (Facebook/SustainVic)
A team of scientists from Deakin University say they have found a way to make the process more feasible.
The scientists say their method does not use harmful chemicals to extract the high-value silicon from the panels. This makes the process cheaper and more environmentally friendly.
Mokhlesur Rahman, another senior researcher from Deakin University said, “There are many other technologies around the world, but most of them are complicated, require many steps and take a lot of time.”
Australian Scientists Have New Solutions for Solar Panel Recycling
Their new method could be very attractive financially for recycling businesses because the nanomaterials made from silicon are expensive. Vippond explained that the price of nano silicon could reach $31 thousand per kilogram.
This new technology must be tested for effectiveness at the industrial level.
Polhill explained, “To test and not just decompose panels and cells but to do it in a way that is financially viable at the business level, not just at the laboratory level.”
The result of recycling solar panel waste, PVC cables and other waste materials. (Facebook/LotusEnergyCoop)
Researchers are currently working on making inexpensive batteries out of this material.
Australian Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek is pressing industry to do more to recycle solar panels. Plibersek stated that if efforts were not stepped up, there could be more than a quarter million tons of solar panel material in landfills by 2030. [uh/ab]
