You may be surprised that your panels won’t need to be replaced once you have weighed the pros and cons.
Many people don’t consider solar panel disposal.
It has hindered solar energy’s sustainability and clean energy classification.
Most solar panels can be recycled, but they must go through a special dismantling procedure to recover their valuable components.
Let’s see how sustainable panel disposal techniques are being developed.
Solar Panel Disposal Problems
Solar panels, as mentioned earlier, must be removed for safe recycling.
Recyclers use mechanical techniques to remove aluminum frames and grind the glass, silicone and metals into a cullet mixture.
This glass cullet is used to make industrial and building materials.
It turns out, however, that this panel is only worth a few bucks.
Advanced methods are being developed to extract valuable, pure material from retired panels.
These materials include glass, silicone and plastics. Some of these substances are more valuable than the glass cullet.
The US Environmental Protection Agency states that the ideal recycling method includes:
- Removal frames and junction boxes
- Separating silicon wafer
- Purifying silicon cell and specialty metals
Sustainable Disposal Keeps Solar Panel Materials out of Landfills
Reusing panels off-grid or breaking down assemblies to harvest components, each panel kept out of landfills helps reduce the amount of electronic waste.
The solar panel modules are e-waste, including heavy metals such as lead and cadmium.
Broken panel fragments can release these contaminants into the soil.
The Electric Power Research Institute conducted an end-of-life study on US solar utilities. They did not recommend that panels be disposed of in landfills.
Current Status of Solar Panel Disposal
Many countries and states have numerous sustainable solar equipment disposal programs.
Companies that specialize in Solar Panel Recycling offer sustainable disposal options.
Solar panel life expectancy is between 25 and 30 years. There’s also ongoing solar growth in the US and worldwide. Technological advances will make it possible for sustainable recycling options to be made available in the 2040s and early 2050s.
A residential or commercial solar energy system, whether it is commercial or residential, can produce clean, sustainable electricity for decades before you need to dispose of your panels. This will reduce your carbon footprint as well as grid dependence.