Disposing end of life PV modules – reusing, recycling and upcycling

Abstract

The exponential growth of photovoltaic (PV) installations is an important and desirable element in the global response to climate change. Increased use of PV panels for energy production would also lead to enormous volumes of PV waste that need to be dealt with in an environmentally responsible manner. Crystalline silicon (c-Si) technology commands more than 95% share of the solar PV industry. The growing amounts of silicon PV panel waste present new environmental and waste management challenges. The issue has been acknowledged and some recycling processes have been developed. However, the complexity of the recycling process is one of the prime reasons hindering their large-scale implementation and growth of the PV panels recycling industry. In this paper we present a review of the existing processes of recycling of end-of-life PV panels and propose a new possible use of recycled silicon from the end-of-life c-Si PV panels.