Solar panel recycling

Solar Power – Current Drivers Some latent issues…

• Most sustainable and • Solar panels, a major
environment-friendly source of component of solar power plant
energy available today has a useful life of 25-30 years

• India has revised 2020 target • In Nov’16 IRENA estimated

from 20GW to 100GW of solar solar panel wastes at 250,000
power metric tons

• Across the world, various • By 2050, the solar panel waste

countries are moving from may touch 78 million metric
thermal and nuclear energy to tons
solar energy

As per the 2016 study by IRENA, the estimated market of solar panel recycling
would be $15 billion by the year 2050
Comparison of solar panel recycling policies across the world

Solar panels are Disposal of solar panels is Apart from blueprint of

defined as e-waste governed by the waste recycling antimony
and subject to disposal regulations as part containing solar panel
recycling of the RCRA. Additional glass, no other solar
requirements set state specific policies on panel disposal and
forth in the WEEE waste disposal and recycling regulations or
Directive recycling also exist. guidelines exist

In India, an estimated 2.66 million metric ton of solar panels may require
recycling from 2027 onwards
Assuming 300W solar panels of weight 18.14 Kg are installed and 1 metric ton equal to 1000Kg. Import of 80% Chinese panels out of 175
GW capacity and each panel having approx. life of 5 years.
Recyclable components of solar panels
Overview of recyclable components
• Recycling solar panels helps recover over 80
percent of a crystalline silicon unit from each solar
panel.
• Other recyclable parts of a solar panel are electric
junction boxes, glass and plastics, aluminum
frames and brackets.

Problems with recycling process

Extraction of silicon and other metals which are
fused together in the silicon wafer, is a fairly
complex, energy intensive and expensive
process.

Immediate or passive solution in Indian

context
Storing old or damaged solar panels in secured
landfill sites or large shipping containers till the
time more cost effective and advanced recycling
technologies are available.
 Pointers for developing strong case of recycling market in India
1
All benefits of using recycled products as raw materials in
the manufacturing of new panels must be assessed

Combined energy utilization of solar panel Chinese recyclers will have competitive advantage
manufacturing and recycling should be less than due to technology maturity and access to robust
2 supply chains. Moreover, domestic solar panel waster 6
the actual energy generated during its lifetime for
positive impact on environment. by 2050 can be estimated at 9.97 million metric ton

Supply chain must be well established Cost of recycling in future may

right from the aggregation of decrease due to economy of scale and 5
3 entry of traditional recyclers in this
used/damaged solar panels to supply of
recycled material to manufacturing units domain

Complexity and costing of solar panel recycling process will increase

in future due to technological advancements in solar panel design
4