The sun may provide us with unlimited free energy, yet the solar modules that capture its rays and turn them into power have a shorter lifespan than their source. At some point they reach their end of life and have to be disposed of as electrical waste in line with applicable legislation.
This produces a number of as yet unresolved challenges for solar panel manufacturers.
After a turbulent phase of market consolidation during which the solar power industry experienced a number of highs and lows, photovoltaics has now gained a firm foothold in the energy market in Germany and across Europe.
Germany is a pioneering force in this market, not least due to the reversal in 2011 of the Federal Government’s original decision to extend the lifespan of long-standing nuclear power plants. As a result, today renewable energies already play a sizeable and indeed increasingly powerful role in the energy mix. And there’s another reason why solar energy is moving up the agenda. The EU is taking it seriously – and has adopted rules for the recycling of obsolete PV modules. Because nothing lasts forever, not even solar cells.
Some are damaged by storms or high winds, some simply break down and some old modules are replaced because today’s state-of-the-art panels are much more powerful than their older counterparts. Currently there are only a few tons of old modules that need to be disposed of every year – in 2008, just 3,800 tons across the entire EU. Producing accurate waste forecasts is still difficult, however the amount of installed power can provide an indication of the magnitude of the problems yet to come.
The industry expects that around 75 tons of waste per MWp of installed power will have to be disposed of. According to current estimates, the amount of solar waste in the EU will rise to 130,000 tons by 2030 – enormous amounts that will grow rather than decline in future.
Responsibility for disposal
For some time the recycling industry has been working at high speed to design an efficient and viable solution for recovering valuable raw materials from this waste. After all, it’s in the interest of the entire industry to work with an expedient and efficient collection and recycling system from the very beginning. The industry has always known that solar modules would have to be scrapped at some point. Brussels has put the issue on the agenda and adopted relevant recycling rules. These will be implemented across the European Union also via Directives that have to be transposed into national law by the Member States’ legislative bodies. Finally, sustainability does not just refer to the production of green power, it should also extend to include the entire production process plus, naturally, the disposal of obsolete solar modules.
