Are Solar Panels Recyclable? (Eco-Friendly or Filling Landfills)
Solar panels are becoming increasingly popular with people wanting to become more energy efficient. There are a lot of people looking into solar energy as opposed to other forms of energy. However, this leaves the question of what happens to them once you are done with them? If you’ve recently found yourself getting rid of solar panels that are no longer serving a purpose or if you’re clearing a property, then you might be wondering what exactly happens to these solar panels. If you’ve ever seen solar panels they are quite large and usually there is more than one in an area. It’s important to note that solar panels, at least the majority of the materials used in them, are recyclable.
This article is presented by the pros at Go Solar Energy NC! We’re part of the top-rated solar companies in NC helping home and business owners go solar.
Are Solar Panels Recyclable?
Solar panels are recyclable.Typically, solar panels last about 30 years before they start to lose power or before they just simply do not produce as much power, so you definitely can look into recycling them. Solar panels have a lot of different materials and components that can be used in different ways. Typically, the most common material from solar panels that get recycled is their glass panels.
How Are Solar Panels Recycled?
There are a lot of different materials that are within solar panels that can be recycled. The most common is that the solar panels will be given to a glass recycling facility since solar panels are mostly made of glass. This will help to recycle a lot of the solar panels, then the rest will be discarded or burned.
There is an aluminum frame on the solar panel that is 100% recyclable as well as the glass, which we mentioned, that is 95% recyclable. These are the two most recycled and reused materials that are on the solar panels. Luckily, these two materials make up the majority of the solar panel. The silicon within the solar panel can also be recycled by melting it into other silicon products or slabs that can be used for other things. Overall, these are the materials that are able to be recycled from a solar panel and only a little bit of the panel is left to be discarded or burned.
Why Solar Panels Aren’t Being Recycled As Much As They Should?
Unfortunately, solar panels can be difficult to recycle or they could be quite expensive to recycle. This is because the solar panels are made with recyclable materials, however, these materials have to be separated and recycled separately. Like we mentioned, the glass is the biggest part of the solar panel that’s typically recycled, but to be able to recycle the whole solar panel you would have to separate the glass from the aluminum and then that from the metal energy storing pieces inside and then that from any other materials. As you can imagine, that might be … Read More...