Most components of a photovoltaic module have a well-established recycling chain, says expert
The use of solar panels is one of the best options for clean and renewable energy sources and appears as an alternative to traditional polluting energy methods, such as fossil fuels. At the end of their useful life, there are several ways to reuse these devices, which include repurposing them for other purposes or recycling their components.
According to Roberto Zilles, professor at the Institute of Energy and Environment (IEE) at USP (University of São Paulo), solar panels, also called photovoltaic modules, are predominantly composed of glass and aluminum, which together represent around 90% of the total material.
However, he states that several other materials are part of the modules, especially the semiconductor material, responsible for converting solar radiation into electricity.
“Photovoltaic modules have a useful life of over 25 years, with an estimated annual degradation of 0.5%. Because of this, many manufacturers indicate that after 25 years, a photovoltaic module will have around 80% of the power it had at the beginning of its operation. Due to these statistics, these devices have a level of reliability and efficiency that is considered high compared to many other products.”he declares.
Recycling
According to the professor, after 25 years of operation, the modules can still be used, even with reduced power. According to Zilles, when the time comes for a module to stop operating, most of its components already have a well-established recycling chain and are easy to reuse.
The other 10% of the composition is made up of an encapsulating film known as EVA, some semiconductor materials, a protective part called polyvinyl fluoride or tedlar and the conductive materials, which are normally made of copper.
Among all these materials, the professor says that the most important and possibly easiest to reuse in the industrial process are silver and tin.
“In Brazil, more specifically in the city of Valinhos, in São Paulo, there is the company SunR, which is ahead of the others in the issue of recycling photovoltaic modules. Initially, the company focuses on the recovery of glass, aluminum and copper, with plans to expand to other precious materials such as silver, lead and tin.”he says.
Future
According to the professor, relocating solar panels can be a viable alternative when they reach a period of lower efficiency. He explains that there are movements to seek a second life for the panels, especially in applications where performance is not as necessary, such as in rural electrification, for example.
“Recycling and reuse of modules is a growing priority and the quality standard for the second life of modules is being discussed and established in several research centers and universities”he declares.
Zilles points out that, adding together glass, aluminum, all semiconductor materials and precious metals, a total of 95% of each solar panel can be recovered through recycling. In this way, he emphasizes that the environmental impact caused by this process is extremely low and beneficial to sustainable energy production practices.
“It is clear that the composition of photovoltaic modules does not pose any major environmental risks. Obviously, the random disposal of materials in nature is not interesting, but it is easy to establish this recycling chain, especially in the simplest processes, such as glass and aluminum. As for other materials, the solar energy industry will certainly adapt and develop methods to maximize final reuse.”he says.
With information from USP Agency.
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