11 - Management of solar cell e-waste: challenges and techniques

Abstract

Solar energy is one of the cleanest forms of energy sources and is referred to as an ecological energy. The advantages of solar energy range from low carbon emission, no requirement for fossil fuels, the long-term nature of the solar resource, less payback time, etc. With the huge expansion in the development and utilization of solar-energy resources, the propagation of waste solar panels has become a challenge. While today’s research into solar panels has focused on how to improve the efficiency of the production capacity, the discarding and recycling of end-of-life (EOL) panels are seldom considered, as can be seen, for example, in the lack of solar-panel recycling plants. EOL solar-panel recycling can effectively save natural resources and reduce the cost of production. At the present time, from a technical perspective the research into solar panel recovery is facing many efforts, and we need to further develop an efficiently practicable and nontoxic technology. The research into the management of solar photovoltaic panels at the end of life is just beginning in many countries, and there is a need for further development and expansion of producer responsibility.