Can PV raw materials be recovered or recycled? How can the country improve PV waste management?
What is PV waste?
India’s solar PV installations are dominated by crystalline silicon (c-Si)
A typical PV panel is made of c-Si modules (93%) and cadmium telluride thin-film modules (7%). A c-Si module mainly consists of a glass sheet, an aluminium frame, an encapsulant, a backsheet, copper wires, and silicon wafers.
Silver, tin, and lead are used to make c-Si modules. The thin-film module is made of glass, encapsulant, and compound semiconductors.
Is this waste recovered or recycled?
As these panels near expiration, some portions of the frame are extracted and sold as scrap, junctions and cables are recycled according to e-waste guidelines.
The glass laminate is partly recycled and the rest is disposed of as general waste.
Silicon and silver can be extracted by burning the module in cement furnaces.
According to a 2021 report, approximately 50% of the total materials can be recovered.
India’s challenge is the growing informal handling of PV waste and about 20% of the waste is recovered in general the rest is treated informally.
The waste often accumulates at landfills, which pollute the surroundings. Incinerating the encapsulant also releases sulphur dioxide, hydrogen fluoride, and hydrogen cyanide into the atmosphere.
What are the gaps?
Simply clubbing PV waste with other e-waste could lead to confusion. Instead, India should formulate and implement provisions specific to PV waste treatment within the ambit of the e-waste guidelines.
Central insurance or a regulatory body should be set up to protect against financial losses incurred in waste collection and treatment.
The waste generated from PV modules and their components is classified as ‘hazardous waste’ in India. To further drive home this label, pan-India sensitisation drives and awareness programmes on PV waste management will be beneficial.
Considering that India’s local solar PV-panel manufacturing is limited, we need to pay more attention to domestic R&D efforts.
Depending on a single module type will dis-uniformly deplete certain natural resources and stunt the local capacity for recycling and recovery of critical materials.
The domestic development of PV waste recycling technologies must be promoted through appropriate infrastructure facilities and adequate funding.
Why should India act now?
Considering the rate at which these panels are being installed around the country, India is expected to generate an enormous amount of waste over the next 20 years.
In fact, India is expected to become one of the top five leading photovoltaic waste producers worldwide by 2050.
Now is the right time for it to install clear policy directives, well-established recycling strategies, and greater collaboration, so that it doesn’t find itself caught unprepared against a new problem in the future.
Question
Can PV raw materials be recovered or recycled? How can the country improve PV waste management?
