Towards a circular supply chain for PV modules: Review of today's challenges in PV recycling, refurbishment and re‐certification

Tsanakas, John A.; Heide, Arvid van der; Radavičius, Tadas; Denafas, Julius; Lemaire, Elisabeth; Wang, Ke; Poortmans, Jef; Voroshazi, Eszter

doi:10.1002/pip.3193

Cited by 120 publications

(121 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…With the revenue far below the cost for Si module recycling, it is worthwhile to rethink about what to recover from waste Si modules in an attempt to increase the revenue and offset the cost. There are three potential recycling scenarios for waste Si modules 17 : Refurbish and reuse waste modules; Extract and reuse components from waste modules; Extract and reuse materials from waste modules. …”

Section: What To Recover From Si Modulesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Major challenges and opportunities in silicon solar module recycling

Tao

Fthenakis

Ebin

et al. 2020

Progress in Photovoltaics

125

122

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This article examines some of the basic questions about silicon module recycling: (1) What can be recovered from silicon modules? (2) What recycling technologies are needed? (3) What are the potential revenues for different recycling scenarios? And (4) what are the major challenges for different recycling scenarios? Three recycling scenarios are considered: module reuse, component extraction, and material extraction. Recycling process sequences for different scenarios are outlined. The discussions conclude that module reuse generates the highest revenue with the fewest processing steps, while material extraction leads to the lowest revenue with the most processing steps. It is suggested that gentle and clean separation of silicon solar cells from the glass pane is a critical technology for silicon module recycling. It is also argued that two low‐concentration metals must be recovered from silicon modules: silver as a scarce material and lead as a toxic material. Their recovery requires chemical methods, while bulky materials including glass cullet, aluminum frame, and copper wiring can be recovered with physical methods. The silicon in the cells can be extracted with different qualities: ferro‐silicon, metallurgical‐grade silicon, or solar‐grade silicon, with a higher revenue and more complicated recycling process for purer silicon. Markets outside the solar industry for the recovered silicon should be explored. The biggest challenge for module reuse is to find a large and sustained market for hundreds of gigawatts peak of decommissioned modules a year, and the biggest challenge for component extraction is the many different module and cell structures on the market and cell efficiency variability. For all the three scenarios, the cost of collecting and processing waste modules is a common challenge.

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Section: What To Recover From Si Modulesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Major challenges and opportunities in silicon solar module recycling

Tao

Fthenakis

Ebin

et al. 2020

Progress in Photovoltaics

125

122

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“…61 In addition, we found little data on the processes for (testing for secondary use safety and reliability) or costs related to repair for reuse or direct reuse. We found no study on repair processes or the cost of repair for the U.S. market, but one European study estimated module repair costs between 20 and 90 euros per module ($23-106 per module based on today's exchange rate) (Tsanakas et al 2020).…”

Section: Information and Data Barriersmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Circular Economy for Solar Photovoltaic System Materials: Drivers, Barriers, Enablers, and U.S. Policy Considerations

Curtis¹,

Buchanan²,

Smith³

et al. 2021

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“…Environmental impacts include both carbon and energy intensity and a range of issues related to resource extraction, manufacturing, and end‐of‐life 83 . The establishment of a circular economy for photovoltaic modules will be key to mitigating these and creating a maximally sustainable solar energy industry 84 . Deployment of photovoltaics has some associated environmental impact as well—even in the inhospitable interior deserts of the UAE, the Noor Abu Dhabi project was reported to have taken precautions to avoid disturbing the habitats of endangered desert lizards 49 .…”

Section: Energy Economy Environment: Preparing For the Renewable Revolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What is going on with Middle Eastern solar prices, and what does it mean for the rest of us?

Apostoleris

Ghaferi

Chiesa

2021

Progress in Photovoltaics

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For the third time in a decade, solar energy pricing records are tumbling in the Persian Gulf. As each previous wave of new records was met with incredulity, only for these prices to become the new normal around the world within a few years, it would be unwise to once again dismiss low prices as unrepresentative outliers. In this study, we show how local conditions and global macroeconomic factors have conspired to bring solar energy into a new regime of extreme affordability in the region and argue that the Gulf market, especially the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, represents the leading edge of the global learning curve and therefore offers a window into the likely near future of large‐scale photovoltaics around the world. As this future increasingly appears to be one of previously unimaginably cheap energy, we conclude with a discussion of the ways in which the region and the world can seek to meet the opportunities and challenges of the coming renewable revolution.

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Towards a circular supply chain for PV modules: Review of today's challenges in PV recycling, refurbishment and re‐certification

Cited by 120 publications

References 13 publications

Major challenges and opportunities in silicon solar module recycling

Major challenges and opportunities in silicon solar module recycling

A Circular Economy for Solar Photovoltaic System Materials: Drivers, Barriers, Enablers, and U.S. Policy Considerations

What is going on with Middle Eastern solar prices, and what does it mean for the rest of us?

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