Recycling Solar Cells: Optimal Economic Solution and Minimizing Environmental Pollution
Solar panels utilize renewable solar energy, which is highly valued for optimizing economic efficiency. Recycling solar panels helps maximize the reuse value of their constituent components, contributing to environmental protection by reducing pollution from the energy industry. Join RX Tradex in exploring the economic and environmental benefits of recycling solar panels.
1. Amount of Waste from End-of-Life Solar Panels
On average, a solar panel releases 1kg of carbon during its lifecycle. Once no longer operational for energy generation, the waste from these devices becomes concerning due to their constituent parts such as aluminum frames, tempered glass, EVA layers, solar cells, junction boxes, and materials like cadmium, chromium, lead, and other hazardous substances. These materials cannot be buried or incinerated due to their potential for severe pollution.
2. Lifespan of Solar Panels
According to studies, the average lifespan of a solar panel is approximately 30 years. The process of maintaining energy generation efficiency decreases over time.
During the first 10 to 12 years, solar panel efficiency decreases up to 10%, and by the 25th year, it decreases up to 20%. These numbers are guaranteed by most manufacturers, but in reality, efficiency decreases only by 6 to 8% after 25 years.
High-quality PV panels can even have a lifespan of 30 to 40 years, continuing to operate with reduced efficiency. Solar panels are recyclable when no longer in use.
According to estimates by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the world could have 78 million tons of waste from solar panels by 2050. At that point, solar energy may no longer be a natural, renewable, and environmentally friendly energy source.
3. Solar Panel Recycling Process
In addition to components like lead and cadmium that pose risks to human health, solar panels use other materials such as glass, aluminum, and silicon, which can pose significant environmental threats if not handled and recycled properly.
Currently, there are primarily two types of solar panels: crystalline silicon and thin-film. Research has been conducted to develop recycling methods for these solar panels, promoting advanced technologies and achieving recycling efficiencies of up to 96% in some places.
- Recycling Process for Silicon Solar Panels:
The recycling process for silicon solar panels begins with separating the three main components: the frame, glass, and photovoltaic cells. The frame has an almost 100% recycling efficiency, used for casting new frames. Glass is recycled up to 95%. Photovoltaic cells undergo processing at temperatures around 500°C to separate components like plastic and silicon crystals. Evaporated components are used as raw materials for subsequent stages, with silicon crystals separated and reused or melted to form wafers for manufacturing new solar cells. This process achieves an 85% recycling efficiency for silicon.
- Thin-Film Solar Panel Recycling Process:
Thin-film solar panels are less used in many countries due to their specialized structure, resulting in more complex recycling processes:
- Step 1: Thin-film panels are directly fed into a shredder to reduce components to sizes of 4-5mm.
- Step 2: After shredding, a centrifugal machine separates the resulting mixture into solid and liquid components.
- Step 3: The liquid undergoes precipitation and dehydration processes to achieve purity, followed by separating various metals and semiconductors.
This process achieves a recycling efficiency of up to 95%, with about 90% of the glass being sifted, cleaned, and recovered in a single recycling attempt.
4. Benefits of Recycling Solar Panels
Reduction of hazardous waste: Precious metals and semiconductors can be reclaimed and reused instead of being buried, which pollutes soil, water, and air sources.
Reduction of natural resource extraction: Recycling reduces the need for mining raw ores and metals.
Cost savings: For battery manufacturing businesses, resources used in various types of batteries are not infinite and are often costly. Therefore, knowing how to effectively reuse components in batteries helps businesses proactively control inputs and raw material supply chains.
Conclusion
Recycling solar panel batteries helps reduce negative environmental impacts while generating significant economic value, contributing to the development of a circular economy. This October, RX Tradex is organizing the WASTE AND RECYCLING VIETNAM EXPO to showcase the most advanced waste recycling technology solutions for businesses. This event helps businesses manage waste properly, aiming for sustainable circular economy practices, and also saves costs through specific and scientific processes. The event gathers the latest advanced technology solutions with leading reputable suppliers.
