Best practices for end-of-life PV management
SolarPower Europe says it expects some of the European Union’s solar fleet to reach end-of-life (EoL) status within the next decade. Its new report outlines sustainable methods for handling EoL solar panels.
Using end-of-life photovoltaic panels as building material
Scientists in India have proposed to use solar modules at the end of their lifecycle as a building material for low-cost small housing units. With solar module recycling currently not viable economically, the researchers said their approach makes conventional solar panels into BIPV products without any modifications.
Reusing silicon from end-of-life photovoltaic modules for battery anodes
Scientists in China have proposed to use recycled silicon from discarded solar cells to build anodes for batteries. They combined the recycled waste silicon powder with graphite and created a composite material that is claimed to exhibit remarkable electrochemical performance.
PV module recycling should prioritize high-purity silicon recovery
Recovering silicon of the quality required for reuse in panels is at the heart of mitigating device carbon footprints. R&D efforts should be ramped up now, says an international research group, so the technology is in place when huge volumes of modules begin to need replacing.
A mechanical technique for PV module recycling
An Italian consortium has developed a panel recycling process it claims can recover up to 99% of raw materials. The developers claim their technique takes only 40 seconds to fully recycle a standard panel, depending on size and recycling site conditions.
ARENA announces major research funding into end-of-life solar PV issues
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency has announced AUD 15 million ($10.3 million) in research funding to investigate end-of-life issues for PV modules. Ultimately it is hoped that the research will increase solar PV efficiency while lowering costs.
