Smart and sustainable technologies for recycling photovoltaic panels

Abstract

“Every dark side has its bright side” like adopting Solar energy as an alternative to non-conventional Energy sources. Similarly, “Every bright side has its dark side” like improper PV end-of-life management might create million tons of waste by 2050, which is a burden to the environment. Creating sustainable goals is easier than implementation the same for an Individual to the industrial level. We are responsible for that we create, with proper implementation of end of life management, we can clear out the dark shades. We are the achievers when the technologies what we created make these Sustainable options so smart and viable. With this motivation, the study presents the policies under PV recycling and implemented the Smart control and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) Screens of the Thin-film cd Te thermal treatment process. The PV recycling process consists of the mechanical, thermal, chemical treatment process. Irrespective of the process, each treatment requires an engineered system (hopper, conveyor, pumps, mixers, crushers) with proper control and communication set up. This study considered each stage as an individual unit consisting of a programmable logic controller (S7300 PLC) and a closed-loop controlled vector drive (G120). Software simulations performed in the TIA Portal for PLC- Drive communication and WINCC RT professional Software to implement SCADA screens by considering Virtual Inputs from the controller.