You are here:
The Solar Panel Conundrum
Citation:
Sahle-Demessie, E., John A. Glaser, AND T. Richardson. The Solar Panel Conundrum. American Chemical Society Annual meetings, Atlanta, GA, March 20 - 24, 2022.
Impact/Purpose:
This project is intended to assist EPA in making the determination for sustainabale the end-of-life (EoL) management practice of photovoltaic panels and determine if existing recycling technologies and reuse pathways are sufficient to meet the projected panel waste generation in the next 20-30 years.
Description:
Solar panels have become an essential renewable energy technology to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, reverse climate change, and achieve stainable growth. Currently, the US 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 fast annual growth rate, a large volume of solar panels is coming to the end-of-use life and being decommissioned. Depending on the type of solar panels, solar waste can leach hazardous materials such as Cadmium, telluride, and selenium into soil and water. Solar panel waste may also place a disproportionate burden on 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.