As mentioned in my earlier article, solar panels are very hard to dispose of as they do not disintegrate at a fast pace and can be dangerous as it contains toxins such as lead.
None of the normal e-waste disposal technique will work on it and it is estimated that in a few decades time a lot of solar panels will be out of commission as they near the end of their life span. Though solar energy is clean energy with no side effects it can be a bane due to the above factor of disposing of it.
Till recently there were no known ways in which these panels could be safely disposed of.
At a point where many nations across the world turn their attention to solar energy and its investment, the problem of its disposal still looms. A company recently has come up with a way of recycling the contents of the panel by almost 90% thereby giving a suitable answer to the problem.
First Solar, a company that deals with solar panels are taking on the issue with a positive approach as one of their recycling plants in Ohio (located near to the company’s manufacturing facility) is capable of recycling parts of old and expired photovoltaic cells. They also have similar operations in other countries such as Germany.
As per the European Union, the solar panel producers need to come up with ways to recycle the product at the end of its life cycle.
Right now, in many parts across the world solar panels are disposed of by dumping them in landfills. This is possible as there aren’t many panels for disposable yet. By 2050 IRENA estimated that there will be almost 75 million metric tons of solar waste. This new way of disposing of them will be a boon as it reduces the toxic wastes and make the rest of it easy to get rid of. This solves the main issue that the industry faced and many other companies are to follow in using this process effectively thereby making solar energy one of the top contenders for clean and renewable energy.
Image credit: intertek.com
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