How should we manage solar panels when they become waste?
“Solar panels”, an alternative for environmentalists, are becoming a major environmental problem when they become waste that has reached the end of its useful life.
Currently, the production and usage rate of solar panels is increasing worldwide. Of course, solar panels also have their own lifespan. When the time comes, they will expire (lifespan is about 20-30 years) or deteriorate into “solar panel waste” (Solar Panel Waste), making the problem of waste pollution in the future a great concern.
Solar panels are made up of materials that are difficult to recycle. There are many types of materials, such as glass, silicon, and heavy metals such as lead and cadmium, making separating these components for recycling a complicated, difficult, and very expensive matter.
Impact of “Solar Panel Waste”
If solar panels are not properly or correctly disposed of, chemicals such as lead and cadmium in solar panels can leak into soil and water, causing pollution that is harmful to the environment.
Current management of solar cells
Currently, the management of deteriorated or expired solar panels is often landfilled or burned because the technology and infrastructure for recycling solar panels are not sufficient, which may lead to pollution problems in the future.
In addition, recycling solar panels has a high management cost, so landfilling and burning are the best management methods at present.
Solutions to the Problem of “Solar Cell Waste”
The problem of solar cell waste should be managed from production to disposal when the solar cell has reached its end of life. This can be done as follows:
1. Design for easy recycling: Current production must take into account the disposal of solar cells that will reach their end of life in the future. Therefore, before actual production, the solar cell panel should be designed to be easily recycled without using a high budget.
2. Appropriate recycling: Currently, our world has advanced recycling technology to reduce electronic waste and reuse valuable materials in other industries, such as:
2.1. Mechanical Shredding & Separation: Using crushers and magnetic separators to separate the panels into categories (but other techniques are also needed to extract valuable metals).
2.2. Pyrolysis: Burning panels at high temperatures in an oxygen-free environment to separate organic compounds from organic materials such as silicon and metals. This method reduces hazardous waste and allows the silicon in solar panels to be reused.
Disposing of solar panels in the near future is very important. If they are not handled properly and properly, the chemicals in solar panels will have a significant impact on the environment and health. If these problems are allowed to continue, they will turn from being an alternative to save the world into something that is destroying the world itself.
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