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End-of-Life Photovoltaic Modules

Author

Listed:
  • Jovan Tan

    (Center for Nanotechnology and Sustainability, Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119077, Singapore
    Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore, Solar Energy System Cluster, Singapore 117574, Singapore
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Shuyue Jia

    (Center for Nanotechnology and Sustainability, Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119077, Singapore
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Seeram Ramakrishna

    (Center for Nanotechnology and Sustainability, Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119077, Singapore
    Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore, Solar Energy System Cluster, Singapore 117574, Singapore)

Abstract

More than 78 million tons of photovoltaic modules (PVMs) will reach their end of life (EOL) by 2050. If they are not responsibly managed, they can (a) pollute our terrestrial ecosystem, (b) indirectly encourage continuous mining and extraction of Earth’s finite resources, and (c) diminish the net environmental benefit of harvesting solar energy. Conversely, successfully recovering them could reduce resource extraction and waste and generate sufficient economic return and value to finance the production of another 2 billion PVMs by 2050. Therefore, EOL PVMs must participate in the circular economy, and business and political leaders are actively devising strategies to enable their participation. This article aims to facilitate and expedite their efforts by comprehensively reviewing and presenting the latest progress and developments in EOL PVM recovery methods and processes. It also identifies and thoroughly discusses several interrelated observations that impede or accelerate their efforts. Overall, our approach to this article differs but synergistically complements and builds upon existing life cycle assessment-based (LCA-based) contributions.

Suggested Citation

  • Jovan Tan & Shuyue Jia & Seeram Ramakrishna, 2022. "End-of-Life Photovoltaic Modules," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-16, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:15:y:2022:i:14:p:5113-:d:862091
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. D'Adamo, Idiano & Mammetti, Marco & Ottaviani, Dario & Ozturk, Ilhan, 2023. "Photovoltaic systems and sustainable communities: New social models for ecological transition. The impact of incentive policies in profitability analyses," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 202(C), pages 1291-1304.
    3. Adrian Czajkowski & Agata Wajda & Nikolina Poranek & Shubhangi Bhadoria & Leszek Remiorz, 2022. "Prediction of the Market of End-of-Life Photovoltaic Panels in the Context of Common EU Management System," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-15, December.

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