Solar Photovoltaic Panel End of Life Estimates for the U.S
Citation:
Sahle-Demessie, Endalkac. Solar Photovoltaic Panel End of Life Estimates for the U.S. US EPA Tools & Resources Webinar, Cincinnati, OH, September 27, 2023.
Impact/Purpose:
Solar panels have become an essential renewable energy technology to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, reverse climate change, and achieve sustainable economic growth. The United States now has the solar capacity to power 16M homes and solar energy is expected to triple in the next 30 years. With the increase in the popularity of solar technology and its fast annual growth rate, a large volume of solar panels is coming to an end-use life and being decommissioned. Solar panel waste can leach hazardous materials such as cadmium, telluride, and selenium into soil and water, depending on the type of solar panels. Solar panel waste may also disproportionately burden minority communities, as landfills and hazardous waste sites are often located near such neighborhoods. Sustainable stewardship of solar panels will eliminate the material going to landfills, avoid environmental contamination, and contribute to the circular economy.
Description:
Current solar panels have an average lifespan of about 25 years. Millions of solar panels installed from the early 2000s are approaching the anticipated end-of-life. There is limited interest in panel recycling, reflecting the relative value of recovered materials, primarily silicon and silver. Thus, only about 10% of panels are recycled today. Recycling costs exceed recovery economics, and in the absence of a federal mandate to recycle, a large volume of materials is headed to a landfill. When released into the environment, hazardous materials present in end-of-life solar panels can be sources of significant pollution and health issues. Concern for the heavy metals present is essential to demand the proper management designed to avoid poor management practices that could contribute to another recycling crisis. The solar panel industry must develop technology to enable safe disposal and recycling of end-of-life or reuse and repurposing that could reduce the amount of waste and virgin materials extraction. Clear criteria and analytical methods must be developed to evaluate the obsolescence of solar panels to ensure the proper management decisions. Considerations of a landfill option must be replaced with well-managed recycling to avoid environmental pollution and aid the recovery of valuable materials present in the panels.