Recycling Old Solar Panels

The state of california passed senate bill 489 in 2015 which designated photovoltaic solar panels as hazardous materials.

Recycling old solar panels.

Recycling solar panels is a topic which will be a lot more prevalent as the initial wave panels begin to reach their end of life. As the oldest ones expire get ready for a solar e waste glut. Recycling solar panels will there be a waste crisis for old panels. Bringing panel recycling stateside.

So today 35 years after solar s first small waves there s a limited number of people now looking for what to do with their old solar panels. The international renewable energy agency irena predicts 90 million tons of old solar panels will be ready to recycle around the year 2050. The firm already receives a trickle of panels in cases where panels were damaged during delivery or installation or were factory seconds which accounts for 99 of their recycling. It s not rocket science testing old solar panels stripping the plastic sheet off the back and repairing replacing the faulty modules so the panel can have a second life.

Meaning the technology cannot be disposed of in landfills in the state. This is responsible recycling smashing and burying old solar panels is bordering on criminal. Photovoltaic panels are a boon for clean energy but are tricky to recycle.