Photovoltaic (PV) Panel Waste Volumes

Summary

Beyond general waste regulations, various approaches have been specifically developed to manage end-of-life PV panel waste. In this series, examples describing the general principles of panel waste management as well as voluntary, public-private partnership and regulated approaches are summarized.

Waste Management Principles for PV Panels

Life Cycle Methodology All waste management approaches follow the life cycle stages of a particular product. Figure 1 shows how the life cycle for PV panels begins with the extraction of raw materials and ends with disposal (cradle to grave) or reuse, recycling and recovery. Environmental process opportunities from cradle to grave: • Reduction; • Reuse; • Recycling.   [caption id="attachment_141277" align="aligncenter"] Figure 1. Process flow diagram of life cycle stages for PV panels and resulting opportunities for reduction,
reuse or recycling[/caption]

Stakeholders and Responsibilities

Responsibility for end-of-life waste management activities in the flow direction (waste generation, collection, transport, treatment and disposal) is typically borne by the following three main stakeholders: A. Social Infrastructure End-of-life management is supported by society and government institutions that control and manage tax-financed operations. This can generate revenue for municipalities and provide economies of scale benefits while eliminating the fixed costs of building new collection infrastructure. Disadvantages include lack of competition and slower cost optimization. The manufacturer producing the panel waste is responsible for end-of-life management, including proper processing and disposal of the panel. The consumer may seek to minimize costs, which could have a negative impact on the development of sound waste collection and treatment. Since the manufacturer is not included, there may be less motivation to produce recyclable and 'green' products. This approach will continue to form the dominant framework for end-of-life PV panel management in most countries. B. Manufacturers End-of-life management is based on the extended producer responsibility principle. This holds producers physically and financially responsible for the environmental impacts of their products through their lifetime and provides incentives for the development of greener products with lower environmental impacts. This principle can also be used to create funds to finance appropriate collection, processing, recycling and disposal systems. Although manufacturers finance the waste management system, additional costs may be passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices. Costs and financing are expected to be determined by which of the three stakeholders (society, consumers and manufacturers) will assume financial responsibility for end-of-life management. All waste management approaches, including e-waste, include incurred costs. The same is equally true for end-of-life PV panel management. Costs can be divided into three interconnected systems outlined below.

1. A Physical Collection, Storage/Aggregation, Processing, Recovery, Recycling and Disposal System:

This system collects PV panels from, for example, separate waste generation points and transfers them to a more centralized location where it can begin first-stage processing. After this initial processing step, which typically separates the waste product into material groups (e.g., metals, mixed plastics, glass, etc.), further processing of different material streams is required for recovery and recycling. This step removes potentially hazardous materials and impurities from recycled materials because they hinder recycling. Finally, the disposal of fractions that cannot be recovered or recycled must also be handled in the physical system. The costs of operating this physical system are a function of various factors. These include the geographic and economic context, the number of selected collection and processing points, and the complexity of disassembly and separation operations (first-stage processing). A final factor is the value/costs associated with the final processing of different material streams for recycling or disposal.

2. A Financial Transaction System:

This system accounts for the quantities of various materials recovered from the recycling process and the revenues and costs related to the system.

3. A Management and Financing System:

This system accounts for, for example, the overall costs of operating an e-waste system for PV panels. Various fee models have been developed and implemented worldwide to provide a financial basis for the recycling of end-of-life products. Some of these fees are set aside to finance the waste treatment system when end-of-life products are handed in.

PV Panel Waste Management Options

Collection points operated by municipalities, dealers, wholesalers, manufacturers or their service providers. Fees are typically structured to follow several principles to ensure they are fair, reasonable based on actual program costs and include regular reviews: • Funds generated from collected fees must cover system costs and achieve net environmental targets. • Fees should be a function of return on investment, technical and administrative costs. Revenues from collection, recycling and treatment fees should be sufficient to cover implementation costs. • The fee structure should be implemented without making the PV sector uncompetitive with international markets. Special attention should be paid to avoid free providers. • Implementation of the fee structure should be simple. • The fee structure should apply to PV products covered by the regulation. In the next article we will continue with financing models for the collection, processing, recovery, recycling and disposal of PV panels, wishing you healthy days.   Dr. Cemil Koyunoğlu Yalova University Faculty of Engineering Department of Energy Systems Engineering