Solar panels are a critical way to reduce global carbon emissions, but over time, the panels themselves degrade and lose their efficiency. Even the newer types of solar panels are affected by the elements and usually need replacing after around 25 years.
What will happen to the solar waste mountain?
This is raising concern for recycling efforts, as billions of solar panels will ultimately become ready for disposal at a similar time. There is over 1 terawatt of installed solar capacity across the globe, which means that there could be 2.5 billion panels requiring recycling, according to experts.
In the UK alone, the government estimates there are tens of millions, but the infrastructure that will be needed to safely dispose of them and claw back parts for recycling is yet lacking.
Energy experts want to see the government come up with an emergency action plan now to prevent a green disaster from developing. Solar panel installers Yate such as https://redbridgeandsons agree that now is the time to begin planning and to get recycling systems in place, before the waste mountain that is anticipated by 2050 starts to build.
Hope for the Solar Recycling Industry
A new solar panel recycling factory will shortly open in France, and be completely dedicated to solar panel recycling. The company behind the factory, located in Grenoble, hopes that it will eventually be in a position to recycle up to 99% of a panel’s component parts, which include aluminium panels and glass fronts.
Silver and copper can also be recovered, both of which are hugely in-demand products and can be used to make more powerful, cutting-edge solar units. The glass in solar panels tends to be of lower quality but can be used for sandblasting, to create tiles or to make asphalt. Being of low quality, it cannot, however, be recycled into new solar panels, meaning that there is a downward recycling trend.
With the challenge now clear, the race is now on to find a sustainable solution to an otherwise quietly growing issue, before it becomes too late to fix.