PROCESSING AND RECYCLING OF PHOTOVOLTAIC SOLAR PANELS

Abstract

The steady tendency of increasing the installed capacity of solar power plants, which is accompanied by the gradual accumulation of solar panel waste, is analyzed. The main factors of negative impact on the environment and directly on human health from the production of solar photovoltaic panels and waste of these panels are identified. The scenarios of solar photovoltaic panels waste accumulation are analyzed, the specifics of waste generation and accumulation in the present and in the future are characterized. Taking into account the average service life of solar photovoltaic panels in 25 years, it is determined that the amount of waste will increase significantly in the period of 2030…2035, reaching a peak between 2040 and 2050. The type and composition of photovoltaic panels, which determine the essence of waste processing technology, are characterized. It is defined that today most research on waste recycling of solar photovoltaic panels focuses on the first generation of modules, which is associated with the scale of operation of these panels and sales markets. It was found that at present, the production of solar photovoltaic panels, which consumes primary natural materials, is characterized by nature intensity, and direct waste processing cannot meet the needs of the photovoltaic modules production. The objective necessity of carrying out large-scale extraction of minerals and use of precious metals before the period of highly efficient processing of waste solar photovoltaic panels, which would meet the demands of production, is substantiated. Modern tendencies in technological researches and developments of secondary processing of photovoltaic modules are considered. It is determined that as the volume of solar photovoltaic panels production and waste generation increases, the requirements for ensuring the environmental efficiency of waste processing and disposal technologies should be more stringent. This involves increasing the recycling degree of the waste’s main components, starting from 80…90 % and to the highest possible level. It is determined that at the same time with this tendency, it is expedient to develop technologies for recycling of non-recyclable parts of waste at present.