The fast-growing solar market had a win this week with California’s historic news of major progress towards legislating 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2045. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the globally installed solar capacity has reached 290,000 MW (the equivalent of about 483 coal plants).

But it does not come without consequences. As the solar market expands and competition drives down the cost of photovoltaics, IRENA estimated that the industry will produce 78 million tons of waste by 2050. For most growth-oriented solar companies, mitigating their end-of-life impact isn’t an obvious priority — at least not yet.

“With degradation, solar panels last about 25 years, so it will be about 10 years until the industry has to solve this problem at scale,” said Peter Kelly-Detwiler, principal at Northbridge Energy Partners. Ten years could feel far off to plan for the end-of-life of products with a relatively low resale value, particularly given the rate of solar panel technology improvement.

Most solar panels are made from glass, polymer, aluminum (frames), silicon, copper and less than 0.1 percent of silver, tin and lead. According to a recent GreenBiz article, manufacturers are finding ways around using components that would have value to recyclers, such as copper and silver. However, some photovoltaic companies are planning ahead for this future market and positioning themselves for the predictable stream of decommissioned panels.

Solar panels last about 25 years, so it will be about 10 years until the industry has to solve this problem at scale.

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https://www.greenbiz.com/article/circularity-our-solar-energy-system

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