Saturday, August 6, 2022, 5:28 p.m
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14569 readings
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Solar energy is considered one of the greenest types of energy. However, it also has negative environmental consequences – solar panels that have exhausted their life are difficult and expensive to recycle.
Experts say that by 2050 the world could accumulate up to 78 million tons of solar panels unusable.
This technology has been actively developed in California for more than 20 years. Since 2006, the state has run a program that encourages homeowners to install solar panels on their roofs and use more of the energy they generate. $3.3 billion has already been allocated for subsidies in this area, as a result, California has approximately 1.3 million solar panels installed on private homes, and more than 17% of all electricity in the state comes from solar energy.
Such panels are designed for an average use of 25-30 years. Many of them are now at the end of their service life. The same problem exists – or will soon – in other countries.
According to the forecasts of the International Renewable Energy Agency, large volumes of used batteries will accumulate in the early 2030s. By 2050, their volume, in a bad scenario, will reach 78 million tons. The leaders in terms of the amount of such waste will be China (20 million tons), the USA (10 million tons), Japan and India (7.5 million tons each).
While solar panels make up a small portion of e-waste, there are a few additional problems with them. First, if not properly recycled, solar panels are more likely than other gadgets to pollute the environment with heavy metals such as lead, selenium and cadmium. Second, processing them is more difficult and expensive than most other devices.
Recycling requires special equipment and skilled workers – for example, to separate the aluminum frame and switchboard from the panel without breaking the glass part of the panel.
At the same time, such processing is not a very profitable business. From each panel, it is possible to obtain 2−4 worth of materials USD. And even with mass processing, this process does not become economically viable.
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