With lifespans
measured
in decades,
solar energy
photo-voltaic
( PV ) panel
waste disposal
needs to be
planned now.
Total e-waste now,
including computers,
televisions, and
mobile phones,
is around 45 million
metric tons annually.
Solar panel
waste in 2050
will be at least
twice as much.
Europe
is leading
the way
A successful
end-of-life
product
management
is extended
producer
responsibility
(EPR).
All manufacturers
were required
to participate
in an EPR
program.
EPR is
most effective
when it is
mandatory,
because that
helps avoid
"free riders"
-- companies
that benefit
from recycling
but do not
pay into it.
EPR also
adds costs
to the solar
industry,
which competes
against low cost
natural gas.
Since 2009,
the EPR program
run by PV Cycle
has recycled over
30,000 metric tons
of PV, and started
a market in
"second-life
PV modules".
In the U.S.,
there is no
federal
e-waste
regulation
to motivate
PV-waste
recycling.
Federal law
only requires
special
management
for PV modules
characterized as
hazardous waste
under the Resource
Conservation and
Recovery Act.
Some PV modules
are considered to be
hazardous waste
because of lead
or cadmium, while
others are not.
Unfortunately it's
not possible to tell
whether a PV module
is hazardous from
any visual inspection.
In 2020, manufacturers
wishing to sell in New York
or Washington state markets,
will be required to participate
in a take-back and collection,
or EPR program.
California has
more than half
of the nations’
installed PV
capacity.
Recycling
is struggling
The primary
challenge
is the value
in all the
recovered
materials
is less than
the costs
of collection
and recovery.
The International
Renewable Energy
Agency reported that
recovered materials
could exceed
$15 billion dollars
(U.S.) by 2050.
Most of the value
in PV-waste is in the
aluminum frame
and the silver in the
metallization paste.
But 80% to 90%
of a PV module,
by weight,
is made
from glass.
Getting
higher-value
PV recycling
will require
new expertise
in managing
glass.
The challenge:
High-quality glass
can't be made
from PV-waste
because of
contamination
by antimony
( added for clarity ),
and plastics debris
from the backsheet
and encapsulant.
In 2008 SolarWorld
demonstrated that
recycled silicon
cut the energy
needed in half
to make
a PV module,
just by using
100% recycled
silicon feedstock.
But their pilot facility
was closed, as the
company struggled
to compete with
emerging nation
PV manufacturers.
Recycling PV-waste
will require innovations
in material processing.