Generally, solar panels are expected to last for around 30 years. However, the percentage of efficiency degradation of the panels is only approximately 20% during the full lifespan and it's been found that efficiency only drops 6 to 8% after year 25, it is speculated that solar panels can actually last much longer than 30 years. In the EU, solar panels are considered e-waste, so the disposal of panels is regulated by the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive, as well as other legal frameworks. There is a myth that solar panels cannot be recycled, but that is not true. Recycling practices have been put in place to manage the end-of-life of solar panels, which has helped avoid about 60 million tons of solar panel waste being added to landfills.
Source: GreenMatch.com
What does the recycling process look like for solar panels? There are two different types of recycling based on the panel type: silicone-based or thin-film-based panels.
The recycling process for silicone-based solar panels starts by disassembling the different pieces into aluminum parts and glass parts. Roughly 95% of the glass can be reused, while all external metal parts are used for remolding cell frames. The materials that are unable to be recycled as glass or metals are treated under extreme heat, which evaporates the encapsulating plastic, allowing the silicone cells to be processed further. The plastic does not become waste and is able to be reused as a heat source for further thermal processing. After this thermal processing, the green hardware is physically separated allowing for 80% to be reused and 85% of silicone material to be properly recycled.
The recycling process for thin-film-based panels starts with shredding. The pieces must be broken into small pieces, 4 to 5mm, in order to break the lamination keeping the materials together. Unlike the process to recycle silicone-based panels, this procedure requires sorting solid and liquid materials. These two materials are separated with a rotating screw. The liquids go through a purifying process before being separated into different semiconductor materials. On average, 95% of the semiconductor material is reusable. The solid parts become pure glass once they are rinsed after going through a vibration process that separates the contaminated interlayer materials. 90% of the glass elements are available for easy remanufacturing.
Although it is great that recycling panels have been made possible and are very useful to prevent harmful waste, there is still a lot of room for improvement to increase efficiency. As a company breaking into the renewable energy sector with solar panels, we look forward to a brighter future with more efficient recycling possibilities. Empower the future with GreenView Energy!
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