The appearance of the sun is painful to repair. These companies are trying to fix this.

Enhancing solar energy production is essential to reducing global air pollution. All over the world, solar panels are manufactured 720 hours of terawatt of energy in 2019, accounting for about 3% of the world’s electricity. And it took almost 46 million tons of solar panels to do.

An estimated 8 million tons of solar panels could increase globally by 2030. By 2050, that number could reach 80 million. Restoring these panels can also find new tools that would have to be played (which may be unsafe or torture working conditions), Making the sun into a permanent piece of clean electronics.

Where is the electrical outlet?

Electrical panels are placed as a sandwich with cells in the middle. About 90% of solar-powered solar systems use silicon as a semiconductor, which converts light into electricity. Smaller metals, usually of silver, pass over the silicon particles in each cell and move electricity into copper connectors.

Solar cells are enclosed as a barrier, usually in the form of transparent plastic called EVA. One layer of glass goes up, and another type of plastic, such as PET, covers the back. All of this is surrounded by an aluminum frame.

These coatings protect the cells from the elements and allow sunlight to pass through, but they are difficult to reassemble when the panels reach the end of their life.

Second life

Some companies try to repair and replace lost panels, or to save some of their own items. Re-use is a very simple and inexpensive way to “remodel” panels – it requires little maintenance and a very high cost.

The group costs about $ 55, while the group used can be sold for about $ 22. Or the equipment used can be sold for up to $ 18, depending on Meng Tao, professor of engineering at Arizona State University and founder of TG Companies.

While some retailers offer sale panels to resident clients, they do not charge a lot of money. Panels only produce, on average, half the cost of solar panels, and other tools and licenses for all other calculations. Since the panels used do not generate more electricity, the money saved on purchase may not be necessary.

Used panels that cannot be resold are designed to be discarded on the floor or some other type of recycling. Before a government official, Washington the latest developments in recycling, and other countries are now considering production. In the meantime, the EU, requires manufacturers to collect and recycle solar panels and to research the latest technical research products they produce.

Some wastes can be recycled using electric motors. Many produce aluminum frame and grind all glass, silicon, and other metals into a glass cullet, which can be sold as binding or other industrial use.

But the seasoning is not really important – about $ 3 for the mix. And it is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post. Being able to access clean and valuable products can help to make a profitable return.

In 2018 the waste management company Veolia, located near Paris, launched what they say is the first recycling line designed specifically for reuse solar panels. Located in Rousset, France, the plant also uses a recycling plant, although designed to run on solar panels, many other products are also processed separately from the waste disposal facilities. But some companies are betting that other alternatives, such as thermal and thermal, will also be more effective.

Mining old panels

ROSI Solar, a French founder founded in 2017, recently announced plans to build a new reconstruction house in Grenoble, France. Yun Luo, CEO of ROSI, says the company has developed a method for obtaining silver, silicon, and other precious metals in used panels. The plant is expected to open before 2022 with an agreement from Soren, a French commercial organization.

Soren is also working with the French retailer Envie 2E Aquitaine, which is trying to find alternative solar panels. If the panels do not work, the company removes the aluminum frame and glass before moving to ROSI for repairs, Luo said.

ROSI is particularly focused on silicon and solar panels, as these two devices exceed 60% of the value of the. The company uses a chemical-based approach to the remaining products, looking to remove small silver wires that transmit electricity through solar panels.

Luo declined to comment further but said the company could get almost all the silver hard, so it is easy to separate from other metals, such as lead and tin. Luo said the company also acquires silicon in a suitable way to re-use new panels or EV batteries.

To be effective, ROSI needs to recycle 2,000 to 3,000 tons a year, Luo said. Soren expects to collect about 7,000 tons of panels by 2021, and that number is likely to double by 2025.