The United States 5 million solar power generation facilitiesThat means tens of millions of solar panels on rooftops and racking systems. Solar energy is great for reducing your carbon footprint and increasing energy independence, but what happens to your photovoltaic (PV) panels at the end of their 30-year lifespan?
As solar power systems age and are eventually retired, the question of waste management comes into play: Is the U.S. prepared for large-scale solar panel recycling?
“Equipment that was installed 20 years ago is nearing the end of its lifespan, and that is creating challenges for the waste industry.” Garvin Heath said:Senior Scientist at the Center for Strategic Energy Analysis National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) “This is something we need to start working on today, because it will take a long time to develop the technologies, policies and solutions to address end-of-life products.”
By 2050, solar panels could account for more than 10 percent of the world’s e-waste, according to Heath. The Department of Energy Allocating $29 million to support 10 recycling projects The move is to prepare the country for the first wave of solar panels that are already reaching the end of their lifespan.
Recycling solar panels creates economic opportunities and could spawn new industries. Survey by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) estimates that solar panel recycling could recover $15 billion by 2050. There is also an opportunity to repair and reuse solar panels that fail prematurely. Repaired solar panels are often sold at a discount, creating opportunities in new markets where affordability is an issue.
What parts of a solar panel can be recycled?
Glass, plastic, aluminum, and silicon 99 percent of solar panels are silicon-based.
Solar panels are relatively complex due to their assembly and the variety of materials they are made from. 72 percent glass Plus plastics, various metals such as lead, copper, gallium, cadmium and aluminium, and silicon solar cells. Recycling solar panels is a relatively difficult process that involves disassembly, etching and melting.
Lack of solar panel recycling policies in the United States
The United States has no national policy, but several states are leading the way. Washington state has a solar management program. Manufacturers are required to take back end-of-life panels and recycle them for free to customers. But the National Renewable Energy Laboratory said in 2021 that By 2050, only 10% of solar panels will be recycled If the country does not accelerate investment
In contrast, European e-waste policies Solar panel recycling programs have been mandatory since 2012The manufacturer: Product take-back and recyclingAs a result, the EU leads the way in solar panel recycling capacity, with dedicated facilities to recycle and reuse solar panels.
Where to recycle solar panels
Despite a slow start, there are a variety of options for recycling solar panels in the U.S. Many of these companies focus on recycling PV panels for businesses and industries, but homeowners are also finding it easier to access recycling services, especially through installers.
- Solar Cycle We offer a comprehensive solar panel recycling service, reusing materials for new uses and supporting a circular solar economy.
- FabTech We provide zero landfill recycling solutions that manage the entire lifecycle of solar panels, from removal to recycling.
- Eli We offer PV recycling to homeowners as well as professional installers.
- Solar Panel Recycle.com It focuses on utility-scale customers with comprehensive decommissioning, logistics and recycling services.
- First Solar We operate large-scale recycling facilities globally to recover over 90% of module materials.
- Clean Light We offer bulk solar panel recycling services, ensuring environmental compliance and minimizing landfill waste.
- Echo Environment We accept recyclable PV panels from installers and manufacturers, preventing them from ending up in landfills.
- OKON Recycle We work with solar farms to support our ongoing large-scale recycling programme.
- Recycle sunlight Support the recycling efforts of panel manufacturers, energy companies and installers.
- Ontility of BBB Industries The division recycles end-of-life panels used by utility companies and large-scale solar power producers.
- One Planet Solar Recycle We work on small and large scale PV panel projects to ensure materials are recycled.
When do solar panels need to be recycled?
Solar panels have a design life of about 30 years. Recycling the panels is especially important when decommissioning a solar farm, as they may contain thousands of individual panels.
On the residential side, it is up to the homeowner and solar installer to decide when to retire a system. Homeowners may not know if their solar system is still working properly and producing enough power. Some solar system owners retire functioning solar systems early. Unfortunately, older solar systems do not have the same monitoring capabilities as newer systems. In this case, a good way to determine if the solar system is producing power is to look at the inverter display.
Most solar panels have a window that displays the power consumption in watts or kilowatts. Some inverters also have lights that help you know how your system is working. Google the model of inverter you have to find the instruction manual. A green light usually means the system is working, and a flashing red light means there’s a problem. Just because there’s a problem doesn’t mean your solar system isn’t producing power.
Solar panels only produce power during the day, so midday is the best time to check how your system is performing. You could check your electric bill to see if you’re getting credits for excess power, but this is an unreliable indicator of how well your system is performing. Your utility bill only shows the amount of excess power you feed into the grid, not your total energy production.
Solar panel recycling is still in its infancy in the U.S., but recycling options are growing. Because it will be some time before the volume of discarded solar panels reaches a significant amount, now is the time to create effective solar panel recycling infrastructure and policies.
Editor’s note: This article was first published on February 4, 2020 and updated in July 2024.
