As solar energy becomes more popular worldwide as a more affordable and cleaner source of energy, problems arise, such as how to recycle broken and outdated panels. Luckily, an Italian startup has developed a way to safely recover up to 99% of panel components, according to Interesting Engineering.
Venice-based 9Tech's efficient method not only recovers 99% of the components, but it also does so without releasing any harmful byproduct.
Solar panels can save you over $1,000 per year on energy bills, power your home when the grid goes down, and reduce reliance on dirty energy sources like coal, but they have a limited lifespan. According to Forbes, they last between 25 to 30 years. The technology has improved over the years, to the point where solar panels lose on average less than 1% of energy output each year.
Eventually, they need to be replaced. Solar panels could end up in landfills, which could lend to pollution runoff into oceans and other ecosystems, thereby harming plants and animals. While recycling helps to eliminate trash pollution and save money in producing panels, current recycling methods release harmful chemicals into the air.
According to Interesting Engineering, current solar panels use a crystalline silicon type with conductors made of silver and copper laminated in adhesives that protect it from moisture and other elements. When being recycled, the adhesives need to be removed first. The best way to remove them is by burning them, which releases harmful gases.
9Tech's method, which they have used at their plant in Venice, utilizes a combustion furnace that heats the components to over 750 degrees Fahrenheit, vaporizing the adhesive and capturing the fumes. The furnace is then used to remove silicon and strip out pieces of silver and copper for recycling. According to 9Tech via Interesting Engineering, they can recover 90% of silver and 99% of copper, all while helping release less harmful gasses.
While the process is more expensive than just recycling, the amount of materials recycled can offset those costs and be used to construct new solar panel systems.
"A photovoltaic panel at the end of its life still has a lot to give," said Francesco Miserocchi, chief technology officer at 9Tech, per IEEE. "It can be considered a small mine of precious elements."
There are currently other efforts to make recycling solar panels more affordable and safe for the environment. Scientists in China discovered a safe salt-molten method to save up to 99% of solar panels' precious metals. Another plant in Tennessee hopes to lower the costs of solar panels by recycling over 125,000 modules a year.
These recycling efforts could make solar energy more affordable worldwide for families and companies to adopt these energy systems.
According to IEEE, 9Tech hopes to learn more about the profitability of its process over the next 18 months when it builds a larger facility to handle up to 800 modules a day.
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