Sunrays are the boon of green energy for the entire planet and the UK is not far behind in utilizing solar power to reduce the carbon footprints. Installing solar panels or photovoltaic (PV) systems is a move towards sustainability and cut down expenses on energy bills. Like all electronic goods, solar panels have a lifecycle and must be decommissioned employing renewable energy recycling methods.
Fortunately, Evolution Solar Recycling is within your reach for removing complicated PV systems, effective e-waste management, and recycling. In this post on solar panel recycling, we are dropping a guide to the eminent parts of these structures. Understanding the various components of PV panels is essential if you have solar panels in your home or commercial property.
If you are looking to remove the inoperative solar panels from your premises, we recommend calling a professional for the job. Adopting safety measures is vital for environmental, economic, and health safety.
What are the Components of Solar Panels (Photovoltaic Systems)
Glass (76-89%)
After disassembling via high-powered laser radiation technology, the glass and metal particles are separated by leveraging thermal processing at 500°C. This is helpful for recovering 95% of the glass for the future production of solar panels and other products.
Plastic (4-10%)
Plastic coating evaporates during the thermal-heating treatment used for separating silicon, metal and glass particles. It is collected in the gaseous form as a fuel resource for further heating treatment.
Silicon (5%)
Silicon is one of the most precious elements derived during commercial and residential solar panel recycling. Wafers extracted from the PV cells of crystalline silicon panels can help in recovery of up to 85% of the element for reuse. After etching silicon is recycled to extract the element in its purest form. These wafers are exposed to high temperatures for melting the small bits.
Silver and Aluminium (6-8%)
Silver and Aluminium are the most precious and expensive metals extracted from the solar panels. The solar cells are treated with iron chloride, aluminium chloride with brines while exposing the solution to ultrasound technique. This process removes all the silver and aluminium particles from the silicon wafers.
Other Elements and Metals (1%)
All the metal extracted after exposing the non-functional panels to laser-based disassembling can be recovered by thermal-heating treatment. It helps to separate the metal from the glass pieces. There are enormous possibilities to recover up to 100% of the metals in high quantities during bulk commercial solar cell recycling.
Is It Safe to Recycle Photovoltaic (PV) Panels
Disposing PV or solar panels in landfills is hazardous to the environment and a loss of expensive materials. Recycling is one of the most cost-effective measures to procure the individual elements and utilize the extracts in the manufacturing of new panels. Choosing to recycle outdated solar panels is both environment-friendly and economic. Cutting material costs and remanufacturing is inexpensive for manufacturers as well as buyers. Up to 85% of the procured elements are useful for making new panels.
Wrapping Up,
The decision to replace old solar panels happens in the wake of dropping power capacity. This is usually 20 to 30 years (depending on the type, usage, and model) from the installation of the system. Employing DIY techniques to remove these panels can be dangerous. Contact a solar panel recycling provider in your locality for the job.
Why Contact a Certified Solar Panel Recycling Company
Photovoltaic panels are categorised as e-waste or waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) by the European Commission for Energy, Climate Change, and Environment. The Govt. of UK adheres to the WEEE obligations as per the EU directives on renewable energy recycling norms.
It is not legit to dispose of solar panels into garbage in the UK to prevent toxicity and pollution. At the end of the PV panel lifespan, it is safe to contact a certified solar panel recycler for removing the components safely from your location.
The professional recyclers can deal with hazardous elements (lead, selenium, carcinogenic cadmium, etc.) employing advanced removal techniques to prevent fatal incidents. At Evolution Solar Recycling we are committed to remove dysfunctional PV systems, offering both residential and commercial solar panel recycling facilities. We issue a certification of recycling after successful removal of the waste elements.