Solar panel recycling must be scaled up

Washington DC - Solar heating is the fastest growing renewable energy source and is projected to continue to accelerate globally.

However, in the past, decommissioned solar panels mostly went to landfills. Now 95 percent of value in materials can be recycled – but recycling needs to be scaled up.

Recent projections indicate recyclable materials from solar panels will be worth more than $2.7 billion by 2030.

Unlike many consumer electronics, solar panels have a long lifespan that extends 20 to 30 years. In fact, many panels are still in place and producing from decades ago.

Because of their longevity, solar panel recycling is a relatively new concept, leading some to wrongly assume that end-of-life panels will all end up in the landfill.

Although in its early stages, solar panel recycling technology is well underway. With the exponential growth of solar power, recycling should be scaled up quickly.

Solar panels have come a long way. Recycling them has not, but that could change. The solar industry is booming, with tens of millions of solar panels installed on more than three million homes across the United States.

In the past, without the proper technology and infrastructure in place, the aluminium frames and glass from solar panels were removed and sold for a small profit while their high-value materials, like silicon, silver and copper, have largely been too difficult to extract. This is no longer the case.

Solar panel recycling companies are developing the technology and infrastructure to process the upcoming volume of end-of-life solar. In the last year, recycling companies are also commercialising and scaling the recycling and recovery processes.

In the past decade, solar has made great strides by becoming the dominant renewable energy source. But scaling is no longer enough.

It will take more than disruptive technology to make clean energy affordable as well as truly clean and sustainable. Engineers, lawmakers, entrepreneurs and investors must again come together and lead a concerted effort by building recycling facilities nationwide and partnering with established solar asset holders and installers.