Waste levels from solar panels will reach critical levels in the next two to three years, rather than in 2030 as previously predicted, says Rong Deng, a renewable energy researcher at the University of New South Wales, writes Guardian Australia on March 30th.
The study he led predicts that if solar panel production increases five to ten times what was expected, “World silver reserves will be depleted in just two decades”.
The enormous magnitude of waste is due to two factors. Victoria is the only state that has banned the disposal of solar panels in landfills, and the cost of recycling solar panels (between 10 and 20 Australian dollars (1.2 thousand rubles) per panel) does not encourage recycling. Furthermore, if the panels are recycled, the technology necessary to recover the valuable materials is lacking.
According to Deng, the design of solar panels similar to “cast sandwich, waterproof and weather resistant”makes it difficult to extract valuable materials such as silicon, silver and copper and convert them into usable components.
And Solarcycle co-founder Pablo Ribeiro Díaz says most commercial solar panel recycling companies simply remove the aluminum frame and wiring and break the glass.
The study outlined a 12-year industry roadmap that included developing sophisticated technologies to recover valuable metals, establishing recycling centers in several major cities and developing a product management framework for the photovoltaic industry.
The document proposes introducing a product quality management system from 2025 that could require recycling (or penalize the lack of recycling) and make solar panel manufacturers financially responsible for the disposal of panels at the end of its useful life.
Deng doubts the viability of these deadlines and bases his doubts on the fact that there is no “Powerful waste processing infrastructure”since until 2016 they were simply exported to China.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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