The Design Value for Recycling End-of-Life Photovoltaic Panels

Abstract

The production of electric energy has been increasingly deriving from renewable sources, and it is projected that this trend will continue over the next years. Among these sources, the use of solar energy is supposed to be considered the main future solution to global climate change and fossil fuel emissions. Since current photovoltaic (PV) panels are estimated to have an average life of 25–30 years, their disposal is very important for the recovery of materials already used and for introducing them again into other processing cycles. Innovative solutions are therefore needed to minimize the emissions of pollutants derived from the recycling of photovoltaic panels that no longer work. In this research, an analysis of data related to durability, recyclability rates, different possible design layouts and materials used in the design and manufacture of PV panels was conducted. Through a Design for Recycling (DfR) and a Design for Durability (DfD), the authors identified the optimal materials, the best geometries and geometric proportions as well as the most convenient geometric and dimensional tolerances in the couplings between the layers and the components that comprise the panel to attain the most current, efficient and effective solutions for recycling end-of-life (EoL) PV panels and for longer durability.

A New Model of Pro-Quality Decision Making in Terms of Products’ Improvement Considering Customer Requirements

“…Selection and also improvement of the quality of products according to customers' expectations is still a challenge [7,9]. It is crucial to define design and improvement activities mainly for dynamically developing products [55][56][57].…”

“…The demand for products is constantly growing. Among others, the cumulative global power of PV in 2012 was equal to 942 GW, whereas, total annual growth was 175 GW [7,9]. The climate and energy framework shows that by 2030, it will be necessary to improve energy efficiency by no less than 32.5%.…”

Conceptual Design of a Semi-Automatic Process Line for Recycling Photovoltaic Panels as a Way to Ecological Sustainable Production

“…In turn, the disposal of thin-film photovoltaic panels requires fragmentation of the entire element. For this purpose, a shredder capable of fragmenting 4-5 mm fractions is used [58][59][60][61][62]. In this way, the glass laminate holding the module breaks, making it easy to remove.…”

Analysis for End-of-Life Solar Panel Generations by Renewable Energy Supply towards Carbon Neutrality in South Korea

“…[25] 1500 -7000 -19,900 USA [25] 1000 -4000 -10,000 Japan [25] 1000 -3500 -7600 India [25] 325 -2300 -7500 Germany [25] 1000 -2600 -4300 Korea [25] 150 -820 -2300 Korea Environment Corporation [22] 63 140 470 -- The majority of the discarded solar panels will be made of crystalline silicon [47]. Glass (approximately 68% by weight), aluminum (about 15% by weight), high-purity silicon (about 3% by weight), and copper wires (about 1% by weight) make up the majority of the recyclable components in PV panels [48]. Figure 9 illustrates the estimated recovery of glass, silicon, copper, and aluminum under the assumption that 95% of the valuables in PV panels are recovered by scenario.…”