After about twenty years or more of using solar cells and panels, How do we recycle it? This is always carefully avoided in discussion of solar energy. Are we creating another pollution stream for future Generation ?
Dear patrick,
You excited an interesting topic. The solar panels recycling are required for clean environment. Solar panels contain materials that can that can be extracted and reused in fabricating new solar panels after regeneration. IN case of lamination encapsulation silicon wafers can not restored again as they will be broken when extracting the other materials as they are burred in in plastic.
I proposed since long time a repairable and recyclable encapsulation technology but it is overlooked from both the researchers and the industry.
Please follow the link: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232709358_AA_Elshazly_A_Zekry_MA_El-Koosy_and_Ms_Farid_Three_flat_plate_terrestrial_module_fabrication_and_testing_Renewable_Energy_23_2001
Best wishes
Dear patrick,
You excited an interesting topic. The solar panels recycling are required for clean environment. Solar panels contain materials that can that can be extracted and reused in fabricating new solar panels after regeneration. IN case of lamination encapsulation silicon wafers can not restored again as they will be broken when extracting the other materials as they are burred in in plastic.
I proposed since long time a repairable and recyclable encapsulation technology but it is overlooked from both the researchers and the industry.
Please follow the link: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232709358_AA_Elshazly_A_Zekry_MA_El-Koosy_and_Ms_Farid_Three_flat_plate_terrestrial_module_fabrication_and_testing_Renewable_Energy_23_2001
Best wishes
Dear Prof. Zerky, your suggestions in terms of encapsulation is a very brilliant idea. I feel the solar panel market is driven by idea of quick cash, without total life and after cycle assessment.
You have a good point by raising this question on sustainability of the PV technology.
In the course (Green Energy Systems) that I developed and Taught at Yale University, I emphasize to my students that a green energy system is a relative measure. For example, solar PV is a clear technology for electricity generation compared to burning fossil fuels to generate electricity. However, we need to consider the entire life cycle of PV panels cradle to grave: from extraction of raw materials to end of life (EOL). Each phase of the PV panel life cycle produces greenhouse gases (GHG) including the EOL phase.
Nonetheless, we can reduce the adverse environmental and human health impacts of the EOL phase by recovering some of key elements used in making the solar wafers.
Please feel free to download my lecture notes from my Yale course on Green Energy Systems. You can also download my papers on life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) to get more in-depth knowledge about life cycle analysis (LCA) and impact assessment (LCIA).
Hope this helps answer your question!
Dear Prof. Khalil
Thank you for this contribution, I will download and digest your lecture series on life cycle assessment.
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