Unlike many of today’s goods, solar panels have serviceable lives of decades and usually without any expensive repairs along the way. But all good things come to an end – or do they? Solar panel recycling is just getting started; promising to give new life to the materials used in module construction.
We’ve mentioned in the past the European organisation, PV Cycle, that aims to develop overall waste management and recycling policy of PV modules. PV Cycle is in the process of creating a voluntary, industry-wide take-back and recycling programme for end-of-life modules in Europe. Since our last report, the number of solar panel companies that have signed on as members has grown substantially. PV Cycle’s membership list features some of the industry’s biggest names; including REC Solar, Suntech, Solarfun, Sharp and Sanyo.
In the USA, companies such as PV Recycling LLC are springing up. PV Recycling’s goal is a little different to PV Cycle in that it aims to collect solar panels from manufacturers, businesses and householders and recycle the materials at its own facilities.
Crystalline solar panels are made up of very few components; predominantly aluminium, glass and silicon – and over 90% of a panel’s weight can be recycled; either into more solar modules or completely different items..
Australia is yet to see a solar panel recycling program implemented and for most people buying solar power systems today, recycling the panels may be the last thing on their minds. But given the progress in other nations, when the time finally does come to part with the equipment there should be by then a well-established and readily accessible avenue for solar panel recycling in Australia to ensure those discarded panels can keep on working – rather than taking up space in landfill.
