...because solar panel waste is piling up
A STAIRWAY TO Moon can be built by simply joining the 24 billion solar photovoltaic (PV) modules that would be installed on Earth by 2050. But there is an ominous flip side to the revolution in solar energy. A solar panel has a lifespan of 20-25 years, so what will happen to this waste and how will it be discarded?
PV modules carry heavy metals and this cannot be dumped in landfills. A PV module is essentially made up of glass, metals, silicon and polymer fractions, and there are few materials like polymers as well as metals, metallic compounds, and alloys which are classified as potentially hazardous.
This story is from the March 16, 2019 edition of Down To Earth.
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This story is from the March 16, 2019 edition of Down To Earth.
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