The Dark Side of Solar Panels: Have We Considered the Waste That Is Generated?

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In an era of turning towards sustainability, as well as self-sufficiency, solar energy is becoming increasingly popular for very obvious reasons – reducing carbon dioxide and saving costs. However, it would be overly simplistic if everything were positive. Although it is undisputed that there are many good things that turning to solar energy can bring, as the market for solar panels grows, so does the amount of waste. And the question that this fact raises is: how is this waste disposed of?

Solar panels typically have a warranty of 25 years, but some manufacturers have extended it to thirty years, according to the Renewable Energy Sources Association (OIE). Despite the impression that we are ‘safe’ from a larger amount of waste for the next twenty years, the issue of disposal must be addressed now. According to data from Recycle PV Solar, currently, ten percent of solar panels are recycled, the rest goes to landfills, and it is projected that by 2050, nearly 78 million tons of solar waste will be produced.

– Worn-out panels have already started to appear, but these quantities are extremely small compared to the fact that the first solar power plants are still operating and will soon reach 25 years of operation. In the next ten years, these quantities will grow rapidly – emphasized David Šerdoner, CEO of Renesola, a Slovenian company that deals with the purchase of damaged and used solar panels.

High Fees

How is disposal currently regulated and how much is recycled? Most countries in the world do not have a solution for this waste. However, the European Union states in its regulations that recycling solar panels is mandatory and requires companies to collect and recycle their panels, incorporating the recycling cost into the sales price, explained OIE. In this way, waste and the impact of panels on the environment are minimized with only a marginal increase in the price of solar panels for consumers.

Other countries in Europe have facilities for recycling panels. At the same time, Croatia still has a very small number of solar installations, and these are new solar panels that are not even close to the end of their lifespan, so there is no need for recycling yet.

– Until the end of 2022, the disposal of photovoltaic modules was free, but this year things are changing and we are waiting for an official concessionaire. Until then, companies that deal with waste disposal can submit offers for this; currently, it is extremely high. How they plan to dispose of photovoltaic modules is not detailed to us. Currently, in Croatia, according to information we received from the PV Cycle organization, the relevant body is the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund (FZOEU). For now, it is paid per kilogram upon import, but this does not ensure or allow for disposal. In Croatia, a fee is paid for electronic waste for a solar panel that will end up in a landfill. Although this fee is paid for the entire panel, glass makes up as much as 90 percent of it, which is recycled in the usual way, while the electronics account for only 10 percent – explained OIE.

Renewal of Solar Panels

However, there are more ways to reduce this waste, and the aforementioned recycling is not as simple as some would like. Šerdoner explains that everything that has been called recycling until today has been the mechanical breakdown of the solar panel, and such recycling has not effectively utilized a large part of the raw materials. He also appeals that it is possible to renew solar panels that have damage at the connection dose, the back of the panel, and the frame.

– The first solar power plants were installed as early as 2000, and only in 2004 was the installed power globally exceeded 1 GW for the first time. In comparison, the installed power in 2022 was 240 GW. The total installed power exceeded 1 TW last year, or three billion solar panels. We are talking about a huge amount of raw materials that will need to be effectively recycled and reused as much as possible in the same industry. It is important to first check whether the solar panel can be renewed, and only when it is concluded that it cannot be helped does it go into the recycling process. An unoptimized recycling process is avoided. Namely, with innovative technology, it is possible to repair as much as 90 percent of faults on the panels. At Renesola, we purchase and organize the collection and transport of damaged and used solar panels – explained Šerdoner.

Is Recycling an Option After All?

Nevertheless, OIE states that there are pilot projects for recycling in several EU countries. However, in most cases, aluminum from which the panel frame is made, the junction box containing copper, and the glass plate that makes up the largest part of the panel are mainly recycled.

– A few weeks ago, an industrial facility of the French startup Rosi solar was opened in France, which has developed technologies for recycling almost 99 percent of materials from solar panels. In Germany, this startup participates in the ReProSolar project, which aims to separate all components of photovoltaic modules for the first time, supported by the EU with 4.8 million euros. In France, the Veolia group opened the first solar panel recycling facility a few years ago, and PV Cycle, a non-profit organization for solar panel recycling, has been active in this area since 2007. Many companies worldwide are developing advanced solutions for recycling solar panels, and rapid growth is predicted for this market. Recycled materials will be essential for the growth of the solar industry and can prevent problems in the supply chain of raw materials for the production of solar panels – OIE states.

In addition, they add that recycling solar panels will also be an important factor in job creation. Namely, this industry is expected to be one of the main factors leading to the development of new and advanced recycling facilities and processes.

How to Recycle Then?

Regarding the recycling process itself, the company Spectra-Media explained that the recycling of solar panels mainly occurs through mechanical recovery – the junction box and aluminum frame are first removed from the panels, after which the glass is removed from the panels. The rest of the panel goes through a process of mechanical shredding and separation of shredded fractions – metal fraction, plastic fraction, and silicon powder.

The efficiency of recycling solar materials is less than 85 percent, according to Spectra-Media, and to maximize the extraction of valuable metals from the metal fraction, it goes for further hydrometallurgical recovery to extract copper, silver, tin, and other metals.

In addition to mechanical processing of solar panels, there are also thermal and chemical recovery processes, as well as combinations of the three mentioned methods; however, as far as we know, mechanical recovery processes are currently the most widely used.

– Regarding the recycling process of the panels themselves, the fractions obtained from recycling them are not the problem, but the high amount of initial investment and high operating costs of the recycling line are the problem. The value of the fractions obtained from recycling solar panels is not sufficient to economically justify the initial investment in equipment – added Spectra-Media.

Used Solar Panels

Additionally, a fact that is positively utilized is that when solar panels cease to have 100 percent efficiency in electricity production, and after the warranty period expires, they still produce electricity. Even though their efficiency is about 20 percent lower, used solar panels are becoming increasingly popular for purchase and can be obtained at a lower price, according to OIE.

It is certain that with the introduction of solar energy, the amount of worn-out solar panels continues to grow, and to avoid being overwhelmed by new waste in a few years, tailored solutions for recycling and disposal need to be found. Namely, failure to develop these solutions, along with policies that support their widespread acceptance, could be a recipe for further chaos.

– We must be aware that we can use the energy of the sun for free, but we can convert it into the necessary energy for people without technology in the form of electricity – concluded Šerdoner.