Eco-Design of Energy Production Systems: The Problem of Renewable Energy Capacity Recycling

Abstract

Due to the rapid development of recycling technologies in recent years, more data have appeared in the literature on the environmental impact of the final stages of the life cycle of wind and solar energy. The use of these data in the eco-design of modern power generation systems can help eliminate the mistakes and shortcomings when planning wind and solar power plants and make them more eco-efficient. The aim of this study is to extend current knowledge of the environmental impacts of most common renewables throughout the entire life cycle. It examines recent literature data on life cycle assessments of various technologies for recycling of wind turbines and photovoltaic (PV) panels and develops the recommendations for the eco-design of energy systems based on solar and wind power. The study draws several general conclusions. (i) The contribution of further improvements in PV’s recycling technologies to environmental impacts throughout the entire life cycle is insignificant. Therefore, it is more beneficial to focus further efforts on economic parameters, in particular, on achieving the economic feasibility of recycling small volumes of PV-waste. (ii) For wind power, the issue of transporting bulky components of wind turbines to and from the installation location is critical for improving the eco-design of the entire life cycle.

The Development of Efficient Contaminated Polymer Materials Shredding in Recycling Processes

“…The amount of plastic waste has been increasing year by year, while the methods of its segregation, processing, and recovery are limited. The limitations in processing are mainly caused by the variability of properties of materials forming the waste stream and technological possibilities of processing equipment [ 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ].…”

“…The actions implemented to protect the climate and increase energy efficiency have led to a rapid development and increase in the number of functioning photovoltaic and wind installations in which polymeric materials are the main building material [ 8 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. Due to a relatively short period of development of these installations, no effective method of management and processing of polymeric materials into end-of-life (EoL) stages has been developed so far [ 8 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. The post-use materials and components of wind power plants and PV modules are most often stored or burned with energy recovery in specially designed installations for the processing of polymeric waste [ 8 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ].…”

“…Due to a relatively short period of development of these installations, no effective method of management and processing of polymeric materials into end-of-life (EoL) stages has been developed so far [ 8 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. The post-use materials and components of wind power plants and PV modules are most often stored or burned with energy recovery in specially designed installations for the processing of polymeric waste [ 8 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. While various forms of mechanical, chemical, and thermal recycling are used in recycling, they are still at the initial stage of development, and it is necessary to develop machines, devices, and technologies based on innovative solutions that are highly effective and consistent with the idea of eco-design [ 8 , 19 , 20 ].…”

“…Environmental assessment at the EoL stage should also be an inseparable element of the analyses, especially considering that the main raw materials for the production of polymeric materials are oil and gas, the extraction of which exhausts the available resources and causes negative environmental impacts [ 8 , 10 ]. The recycling of plastics makes it possible to significantly reduce the environmental burden during the life cycle and to recover some of the natural resources and energy [ 21 , 22 ].…”

PV Waste Thermal Treatment According to the Circular Economy Concept

“…According to the literature, the solution that uses thermal (pyrolysis) and mechanical processes is the most beneficial from the perspective of LCA analysis [20,21]. The problem of PV wastes is currently one of the most prevailing issues around the world, which is proved by numerous researches conducted by many scientists [22][23][24][25][26][27][28]. The aim of this paper is to assess the influence of the pyrolysis of a PV module on the natural environment, as well as to find the optimal parameters for the thermal process used in PV modules waste management.…”