[Reading Science] Old Solar Panels Become 'Golden Goose'

Global Surge in Solar Power Generation Increases Waste Volume
Silver, Aluminum, and Other Valuable Resources Recoverable
Expected to Reach $15 Billion by 2050

Solar power has established itself as a leading source of renewable energy worldwide, including in South Korea. As the amount of waste solar panels is expected to surge in the future, there are calls to foster the recycling industry to simultaneously achieve environmental protection, supply chain stability, and resource conservation.

Joe Hurley, an environmental columnist for The New York Times, recently made this argument in a contribution to "Yale Environment 360," an academic journal published by Yale University's School of the Environment. Since 2010, renewable energy production to combat climate change has been activated, with solar power adopted as a major alternative, leading to a rapid increase in the production, use, and disposal of solar panels. In particular, the U.S. Solar Energy Industries Association and consulting firm Wood Mackenzie predicted at the end of last year that solar power capacity in the U.S. will grow by an average of 21% annually from 2023 to 2027. This is due to the U.S. government enacting the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) last year, which provides a 30% tax credit for residential solar installations.

Accordingly, the volume of discarded solar panels is expected to increase sharply over time. Typically, the lifespan of a solar panel is 25 to 30 years. The U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) estimated that by 2030, the total area of solar panels installed in the U.S. that will need to be disposed of will be equivalent to about 3,000 American football fields (19.5 million square meters). However, the recycling rate of waste solar panels in the U.S. is less than 10%. Most panels are simply landfilled, with disposal fees ranging from at least $1 to $2 up to $5 per panel. In 2016, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) projected that about 4% of installed panels worldwide would be discarded by the early 2030s, but by the 2050s, annual disposal volumes would surge to at least 5 million tons. Especially in China, which generates the most solar power, a cumulative total of 13.5 million tons of panels will need to be discarded by 2050. This is the largest amount globally, twice that of the U.S.

Waste solar panels can be collected, crushed, and processed chemically to recover valuable materials such as silver (47%), silicon (11%), glass (8%), aluminum (26%), and copper (8%). IRENA estimated that by 2030, the total value of technically recoverable raw materials from reused solar panels worldwide will reach approximately $450 million. This amount is enough to manufacture 60 million new solar panels or build a solar power plant with an 18-gigawatt capacity. Extending the period to 2050, the value of recoverable raw materials would reach $15 billion.

There are many other advantages. In 2021, the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) analyzed that recycling solar panels can prevent soil contamination from landfilling and reduce dependence on materials mostly imported from Southeast Asia, thereby enhancing supply chain stability. It also pointed out that this can save costs in solar and various manufacturing industries that require these raw materials and promote the activation of domestic recycling industries.

The problem is that a lack of data makes it difficult for governments worldwide to establish policies to promote the collection and recycling of waste solar panels. It is also unfortunate that some parties, overly sensitive to concerns about toxic substances potentially generated during recycling processes?while the harmfulness of solar panels has not been definitively confirmed?simply landfill the panels. However, the International Energy Agency (IEA) stated in a 2020 report that recycling has a lower environmental impact.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

As a result, recycling of waste solar panels is gaining attention. In the U.S., four states are already implementing or considering measures to promote solar panel recycling. California, which has the most installed solar panels, allows landfilling of waste panels only after testing confirms they are non-toxic. The cost is also over $1,500. Since June 2022, collection facilities for recycling have been established to gather waste panels. Washington State plans to enforce a solar panel recycling promotion law starting July 2025, and New Jersey is expected to publish a solar panel management plan report by this spring. North Carolina has begun research on utility-scale solar panel disposal. In the European Union (EU), member countries have been required to treat solar panels as electronic waste and recycle them since 2012. However, recycling rates vary by country, and due to the difficulty of extraction processes, recycling rates are reportedly even lower than in the U.S.

Marius Modal Bakke, Senior Analyst at the Norwegian Rystad Energy Research Institute, said, "At some point in the future, the volume of discarded solar panels will increase to the extent that recycling must begin," adding, "If governments prevent landfilling of solar panels and provide tax exemption benefits, recycling will be further promoted."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.