How to deal with the waste generated by photovoltaic panel production?

The production of photovoltaic (PV) panels, while significantly contributing to renewable energy initiatives, inevitably generates waste. This waste can be categorized into two primary types: manufacturing waste and end-of-life waste. The proper management of these wastes is crucial not only for environmental sustainability but also for maintaining the overall efficiency and cost-effectiveness of solar energy solutions. This passage explores the various strategies and technologies employed to manage and deal with PV panel waste.

Waste photovoltaic panels

Manufacturing Waste Management Measures

Manufacturing processes for PV panels involve several stages, including silicon purification, wafer slicing, cell fabrication, and module assembly. Each stage produces different forms of waste, such as silicon dust, chemical sludge, and defective panels. To address this issue, manufacturers have implemented several strategies:

1. Recycling Programs: One effective approach is the establishment of recycling programs specifically designed for PV waste. These programs aim to recover valuable materials like silicon, silver, and glass from discarded or defective panels. For instance, the silicon in PV cells can be reused in new panels, reducing raw material demand and minimizing environmental impact.

Photovoltaic panel recycling machine

2. Process Optimization: Another strategy involves optimizing manufacturing processes to reduce waste generation at the source. This includes improving slicing techniques to minimize silicon loss during wafer production and enhancing cell efficiency to reduce the number of defective units.

End-of-Life Waste Photovoltaic Panel Disposal Way

As the service life of the first generation of photovoltaic panels (typically around 25-30 years) comes to an end, how to deal with these panels has become a pressing issue. Therefore, proper management of waste photovoltaic waste is essential to prevent environmental degradation and ensure the sustainable development of the solar industry. At present, the most feasible and profitable method is to recycle PV panels through photovoltaic panel recycling machines.

Photovoltaic panel recycling machine

With over 14 years of experience in manufacturing waste recycling machinery, DOING is a trustworthy manufacturer. Our photovoltaic panel recycling machine uses advanced technologies such as mechanical crushing and multiple screening to maximize the recovery of aluminum frames, glass, silicon, copper and plastics in the PV panels, with a recovery rate of more than 95%.

DOING photovoltaic panel recycling machine is suitable for the disassembly and recycling of various types of waste solar photovoltaic panel components. Its workflow mainly includes the following steps:

1. Disassembly: Dismantle the junction box and aluminum frame of the waste PV panel.

2. De-glassing: The waste photovoltaic panels after de-framing are separated from the glass by a glass removing machine.

3. Crushing: With the help of an advanced crushing system, the waste PV panels are shredded, crushed and ground into small particles to facilitate subsequent sorting and processing.

4. Multiple screening: The crushed photovoltaic panel materials need to be separated and processed. According to the properties of the materials, silicon, metals and non-metals can be effectively separated through screening, airflow sorting and other steps.

This is an animated video produced by our engineers based on a one-to-one restoration of the real object, which can help you easily understand the working process of the photovoltaic panel recycling machine.

In short, by implementing recycling programs, optimizing manufacturing processes, and using specialized photovoltaic panel recycling machine, the solar industry can significantly reduce the environmental impact of waste while promoting sustainable economic development.

DOING has an experienced and professional team of engineers and sales staff, dedicated to providing customers with professional recycling solutions according to customer needs. If you have waste photovoltaic panels to deal with and are interested in participating in the photovoltaic panel recycling business, please feel free to contact us.