When you weigh the pros and cons of installing residential or commercial solar panels, you may not think that your panels will eventually need to be replaced.
Most of us don’t think about the process of removing solar panels.
That has been a stumbling block for clean energy classification and the sustainability of solar power.
Although most solar cells are recyclable, they undergo a specialized dismantling process at recycling facilities to recover their valuable components.
Let’s check out how sustainable panel removal methods fare.
The challenges of removing solar panels
As mentioned earlier, solar panels must be disassembled for recycling and safe disposal.
Recycling uses mechanical methods to remove the aluminum frames and grind the remaining glass, silicon, and metals into the glass core mixture.
This glass reservoir forms building materials and industrial applications.
But it turns out that this alloy panel only costs a few dollars.
More advanced methods are being developed to extract valuable, pure material from retired panels.
These materials include glass, silicone, plastics, and metals, some of which are more valuable than the glass stem.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the “ideal recycling system” includes:
- Removal of frames and junction boxes
- Separation of glass and silicon wafers
- Cleaning of silicon cells and special metals
Sustainable disposal keeps solar panel materials out of landfills
Whether dismantling assemblies to harvest components or recovering panels for off-grid reuse, every panel that stays out of landfills reduces the overall accumulation of e-waste.
Solar panel modules are e-waste that contain heavy metals such as cadmium and lead.
These contaminants can leach from the broken panel debris and seep into the soil.
Researchers at the Electric Power Research Institute conducted an end-of-life study for US solar utilities and did not recommend disposing of the panels in landfills.
Current status of solar panel disposal
There are several sustainable solar equipment disposal initiatives in many states and countries.
Companies that specialize in solar panel recycling offer sustainable disposal options.
With a solar cell life expectancy of about 25 to 30 years, continued solar growth in the US and around the world, and technological advances, it is likely that sustainable recycling options will be available in the 2040s or early 2050s.
Decades before the panels need to be removed, a residential or commercial solar power system can provide clean, sustainable electricity that reduces your carbon footprint and level of grid dependency.
If you want to know more, contact us today.