Cigs Solar Panels Recylcing Cost

On average about 90 of a silicon based pv module can be recycled per input weight by pv cycle.

Cigs solar panels recylcing cost.

It accounts for about half of the energy carbon footprint and cost to produce pv modules but only a small portion of their mass. Silicon s value is determined by its purity. Solar panel recycling is particularly beneficial for environmental protection because silicon production is a process of intensive energy consumption and the energy and cost needed to recover silicon from recycled solar panels are equivalent to only one third of those of manufacturing silicon directly choi and fthenakis 2010 in addition. The united states installs 7 million pounds per day of solar panels according to the.

It accounts for about half of the energy carbon footprint and cost to produce pv modules but only a small portion of their mass. In cdte and cigs panels the materials are separated using a mainly chemical process. The authors focused on the recycling of crystalline silicon a material used in more than 90 of installed pv systems in a very pure form. Unlike most thin film solar technologies cigs solar panels offer a potentially competitive efficiency to traditional silicon panels.

By recycling solar pv panels eol and reusing them to make new solar panels the actual number of waste i e not recycled panels could be considerably reduced. A federal disposal and decommissioning fund would then dispense funds to state and local governments to help pay for removal and recycling or long term storage of solar panel waste. In 2010 the costs of generating a watt of electricity from a cigs panel including installation and other expenses will come to around 2 50 when you consider the lifetime of the panel. But recently the company was able to recycle 96 creating a new silicon panel recycling record.

Cigs cells also use the toxic chemical cadmium. Solar panels are becoming less and less recyclable as the need for recycling them looms more and more. With efficiencies exceeding 20 measured in the laboratory there may be a continuing place for high efficiency cigs panels in the general solar panel market. Strategies for recycling of solar panels date.