Research and development priorities for silicon photovoltaic module recycling to support a circular economy

Garvin A. Heath (), Timothy J. Silverman, Michael Kempe, Michael Deceglie, Dwarakanath Ravikumar, Timothy Remo, Hao Cui, Parikhit Sinha, Cara Libby, Stephanie Shaw, Keiichi Komoto, Karsten Wambach, Evelyn Butler, Teresa Barnes and Andreas Wade
Additional contact information
Garvin A. Heath: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Timothy J. Silverman: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Michael Kempe: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Michael Deceglie: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Dwarakanath Ravikumar: School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan
Timothy Remo: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Hao Cui: Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department, Colorado School of Mines
Parikhit Sinha: International Energy Agency, Photovoltaics Power Systems Technology Collaboration Programme, Task 12 Sustainability
Cara Libby: Electric Power Research Institute
Stephanie Shaw: Electric Power Research Institute
Keiichi Komoto: International Energy Agency, Photovoltaics Power Systems Technology Collaboration Programme, Task 12 Sustainability
Karsten Wambach: Wambach-Consulting
Evelyn Butler: Solar Energy Industries Association
Teresa Barnes: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Andreas Wade: International Energy Agency, Photovoltaics Power Systems Technology Collaboration Programme, Task 12 Sustainability

Nature Energy, 2020, vol. 5, issue 7, 502-510

Abstract: Abstract Large-scale deployment of photovoltaic (PV) modules has considerably increased in recent decades. Given an estimated lifetime of 30 years, the challenge of how to handle large volumes of end-of-life PV modules is starting to emerge. In this Perspective, we assess the global status of practice and knowledge for end-of-life management for crystalline silicon PV modules. We focus in particular on module recycling, a key aspect in the circular economy of photovoltaic panels. We recommend research and development to reduce recycling costs and environmental impacts compared to disposal while maximizing material recovery. We suggest that the recovery of high-value silicon is more advantageous than the recovery of intact silicon wafers. This approach requires the identification of contaminants and the design of purification processes for recovered silicon. The environmental and economic impacts of recycling practices should be explored with techno–economic analyses and life-cycle assessments to optimize solutions and minimize trade-offs. As photovoltaic technology advances rapidly, it is important for the recycling industry to plan adaptable recycling infrastructure.

Date: 2020
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (22)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-020-0645-2 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natene:v:5:y:2020:i:7:d:10.1038_s41560-020-0645-2

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/nenergy/

DOI: 10.1038/s41560-020-0645-2

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Energy is currently edited by Fouad Khan

More articles in Nature Energy from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().