Solar has seen phenomenal growth in the last decade thanks to improvements in technology, falling prices, and growing consumer awareness about climate change.
While solar panels are seen as the best way to manage carbon emissions, there is concern about the sustainability of the technology. Solar panels can last for decades but what happens when they reach their end of life? Can you recycle solar panels?
Fortunately, solar panels are recyclable. This could turn out to be crucial to the long-term sustainability of the technology. There are over 95 billion solar panels installed around the world. The average residential installation in the U.S has 20 solar panels and in a recent survey, 46% of homeowners say they are considering switching to solar energy.
With more solar panels expected to come online, finding ways to manage the waste created by solar panels reaching their end of life is critical. In this article, we explore the state of solar panel recycling and the problem of solar waste disposal.
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Why Are Solar Panels Not Recycled?
Solar panels are not recycled primarily because of financial, regulatory, policy, and technical factors that make the process either difficult or unattractive for stakeholders.
Let’s break down each of these issues to see why even though solar uptake has grown tremendously, dealing with solar waste has lagged far behind.
Financial disincentives
There is no financial incentive to support the recycling of solar panels. It is much cheaper to dispose of solar panels than it is to recycle them.
Solar panels have small amounts of valuable material such as silver. However, panels are mostly just glass. Between 60 to 90% of a solar module’s weight is made up of glass. As glass is very cheap, the cost to recycle a solar panel can far exceed the return. It costs up to $30 to recycle a solar panel whereas sending it to a landfill costs just $2. (Source)
On a side note, find out What Is Solar Panel Glass Made Of & Why ?!
That is the direct cost of recycling. It does not factor in the cost of labor to remove the solar panels from rooftops or the cost of transporting the solar panels to a waste recycling plant. The negative return of recycling a solar panel is a huge disincentive that makes it unattractive for manufacturers.
Policy vacuum
At present, the U.S does not have a firm nationwide policy dealing with the disposal and recycling of solar panels. There is only the Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and a handful of local state policies. (Source)
In contrast, Europe has a clear policy governing the disposal of end-of-life panels. In the EU, solar panel manufacturers are bound by the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive. This is a piece of legislation that mandates solar manufacturers to manage the recycling of their panels. (Source)
Regulations
The lack of clear regulations governing solar panel recycling creates obstacles that encourage malpractice. It is legal to dump your panels in a landfill. The regulatory vacuum means solar panel waste is managed using other existing legislation that is not specifically designed for solar.
For instance, solar can be classified as hazardous waste. That means it has to be disposed of as chemical waste for example. This places certain restrictions that unnecessarily inflate the cost of recycling.
Technical
The process of recycling solar panels is primitive and expensive at this stage. Typical recycling methods involve grinding all the components of a solar panel into a mixture called a glass cullet. The cullet is worth only $3.
These are the biggest obstacles to solar panel recycling not just in the U.S but globally. The technical and financial roadblocks look to be the most challenging.
Can Solar Panels Be Completely Recycled?
Most of the components in a solar panel can be recycled. A solar panel consists of silicon, glass, metal, aluminum, and plastic. Up to 90% of the panel is glass. The difficulty in recycling solar panels is in separating the components.
| COMPONENT | COMPOSITION |
| Glass | 75-90% |
| Plastic | 4-10% |
| Aluminum | 6-8% |
| Silicon | 5% |
| Metal | 1% |
How Are Solar Panels Recycled?
Solar panels can either be recycled either through re-use or by pure recycling. Re-use is when the solar panel is refurbished. Pure recycling is when the solar panel is broken down using mechanical or chemical processes.
Refurbishing
Where it is possible, it’s more economical to reuse than recycle a solar panel. For example, damaged solar panels can be repaired and reused in a different context. Instead of being part of a large array, damaged solar panels can be used in smaller applications.
This is more economical than sending the panel for recycling where it will be destroyed at a considerably higher cost for a poor return. (Source)
Recycling
There are different methods and steps to recycling a solar panel. This is partly influenced by what type of solar panel it is. Thin film solar panels are recycled differently from silicon solar panels.
Thin film solar recycling
With thin-film solar panels these are the main steps followed:
- Laminate on the panels is removed by shredding.
- Film is removed using acid and peroxide.
- Interlayer materials are removed by vibration.
- Metals are separated and processed.
- 95% of the semiconductor material is reused.
- 90% of the glass is reused.
Silicon solar recycling
With silicon panels like monocrystalline and polycrystalline these are the steps followed:
- Aluminum and glass are separated.
- Cell modules are physically separated.
- The plastic covering is evaporated by heat.
- 80% of intact modules are reused.
- 85% of broken silicon wafers are melted and reused.
- 95% of glass is reused.
Is Recycling Solar Panels Worth It?
Recycling solar panels is costly. It costs up to 15 times more to recycle a solar panel than it does to dispose of it in a landfill. Thin-film solar panels are more expensive to recycle because they contain lead-based materials.
The biggest expense with recycling solar panels is separating the components. It is a lengthy procedure that requires specialist labor and machinery.
Used solar panels that have been refurbished have limited functionality. They have a much lower energy capacity so the cost of buying them versus buying new ones is not worth it in most cases.
Also, check out “How Much Oil Does It Take to Make A Solar Panel? Is It Really Clean Energy!“