Photovoltaic (
PV) Panel Waste Volumes
Abstract
Many strategies have been developed particularly to handle end-of-life PV panel trash in addition to general waste rules. We outline the financial waste management panel principles and the framework titles made possible for the UK and Japan in this series of publications.
Uk: Projections for The PV Market and Trash Under Eu-Directed PV-Specific Waste Laws
End-of-life panels are still a relatively new product in the UK’s PV sector. With an increase from just under 1 GW in 2011 to over 9 GW in 2015 and currently more than 750,000 installations, it has, nevertheless, recently undergone rapid PV deployment. As of early 2014, when the UK implemented the WEEE Directive, three-quarters of the PV capacity was installed.
Frameworks for Regulation and Non-Regulation
Although the UK’s PV market is still in its infancy, the WEEE Directive’s implementation, which went into effect on January 1, 2014, primarily reflects the status quo in terms of collecting, processing, and recycling. Before the WEEE Directive, the UK was additionally covered by manufacturer-owned take-back and recycling systems and by voluntary producer programs (such as PV CYCLE).
As there weren’t many PV installations before 2014, the majority of end-of-life PV panels would be covered by manufacturer warranties and returned through the B2B channel. In order to implement the law, the UK created some particular guidelines for recognizing a PV maker and used the expanded producer responsibility principle. WEEE UK
PV panel importer to the UK market; British manufacturer brand that sells solar panels under its name; UK company that sells produced or made PV panels under their brand but imported by someone else.
All PV manufacturers in the UK are required to register through a manufacturer compliance scheme, just like in other European markets (an industry-managed takeback and recycling scheme). Data on goods for the domestic (B2C) and out-of-home (B2B) markets must be provided.
Yet, UK WEEE regulation has standards that are very different from the EU WEEE Directive when it comes to financing B2C and B2B transactions. Based on market share, PV manufacturers are required to finance the assembly of household (B2C) PV panels.
For instance, if a manufacturer sells 10% (by weight) of new panels on the UK market in a given year, they are required to pay for the collection and processing of 10% of the old panels sold the next year. It is not taken into account the year they were originally made available on the market.
• If such panels are being replaced at the same time, PV producers should pay for the collection and recycling of out-of-home (B2B) panels that display the wheelie bin symbol as well as non-carrying ones.
A new requirement in the UK’s WEEE legislation, in addition to the manufacturer compliance program, calls for plumbers to take part in a distributor hiring program. Many distributor take-back and manufacturer compliance programs are currently available in the UK, both of which charge fairly comparable rates for their services.
Establishing A Separate Category for PV Panels Under Uk Weee Regulations
National legislation has established a new and distinct category dedicated to subsidizing the collecting and recycling of PV panels as a result of dialogue between the PV industry and the UK government. PV manufacturers would be forced to pay a high cost for the collection and recycling of consumer WEEE if a new category was not formed.
This is so because the weight of products put on the market affects financing obligations, and PV panels are the heaviest “device” utilized by homes. The UK Government is confident that PV manufacturers can provide a sustainable strategy for the collection and treatment of end-of-life PV panels, hence this special category designation has been given.
The establishment of a distinct PV category will offer the PV industry more control over financing for PV panel recycling and collection. PV panel inclusion in the UK, together with a volumetric record of trash collected. The UK’s WEEE legislation needs to be improved on a priority basis.
Future advancements will probably occur elsewhere because economies of scale prevent private PV recycling facilities from being built in the UK at this time. In general, waste must be processed in the UK per UK WEEE legislation.
Nevertheless, there aren’t any high-value processing facilities in the UK for some products (such as PV panels). As long as the facilities there abide by the UK processing facility regulations, export to other EU members is permitted.
Future of the UK
In the upcoming years, the UK PV panel recycling market is most likely going to be insignificant. A strong governmental focus on building-integrated (BE) BE-PV and pricing
dynamics, however, may spur the development of new technologies, such as the recycling of BE-PV components as part of building waste streams.
Japan: A developed country without waste restrictions specialized to photovoltaics
Market Forecast for PV and Waste
Japan has been a PV pioneer for many years, making important R&D contributions and being home to many of the top producers worldwide (for example, Sharp, Kyocera, and Panasonic). Although the domestic PV market in the country started out being rather modest, a tariff guarantee put in place in July 2012 encouraged rapid growth.
Almost 6.7 GW of installed PV capacity in Japan was present in 2012; 34.3 GW was present
in 2015. According to this situation’s model and the Japanese government’s projections, Figure 3 depicts the PV panel waste estimates.
By 2016, the total amount of waste might be between 7,000 and 35,000 tons, and by 2030, it could be between 200,000 and 1 million tons. In comparison to the data
in this study, the Ministry of Economic, Trade, and Industry (METI) and Ministry of the Environment (MOE) estimations are lower and estimate waste amounts at a later date.
The technique employed here, which takes into account early-stage failures covered by warranty replacements and is not entirely included in end-of-life volume estimations by METI/ MOE, is mostly to blame for this.
PV Panel Waste Estimates from Japan
In 2020, there would be 2,808 tons of end-of-life PV panels, according to Japan’s Guidelines for the Management of End-of-Life PV Panels, which were issued in April 2016.
After 2030, it will be 28,800 tons, followed by 61,000 tons in 2035, 9,580 tons in 2025, and eventually 775,000 tons in 2039.
Figure 2 contrasts the METI/MOE scenario with the annual PV panel waste quantities from the report for the chosen years. The waste streams in Japan’s national scenario are smaller than those in this report’s early loss and normal loss scenarios, but by 2035, they have increased significantly.
Frameworks for Regulation and Non-Regulation
End-of-life PV panel rules must be addressed within Japan’s general waste management regulatory framework, the Waste Management and Public Sanitation Act, as there are no such restrictions in place. The legislation specifies waste, industrial waste management, including landfill disposal, and the duties of the generator and processor of industrial waste.
The Construction Waste Recycling Act also outlines how garbage from construction and decommissioning will be handled. The law requires that concrete, timber, and building materials be recovered and recycled (containing concrete, iron, and asphalt).
Despite the lack of a legal definition for PV panels, recent interpretations suggest that PV panels integrated with construction materials may need to be recycled. The panels in PV facilities that are ground-mounted are unaffected by this requirement.
The Law Will Also Apply to System Parts Composed of Iron Or Concrete
The assessment of end-of-life management with recycling but without liabilities or fines is part of a proposed reform to Japan’s tariff guarantee scheme for renewable electricity. Since 2013, METI and MOE have been working together to assess how to handle renewable energy equipment that has reached the end of its useful life, such as solar panels, solar water heaters, and wind turbines.
A road map for promoting a plan for collection, recycling, and proper treatment was produced in a report from June 2015. The promotion of technological R&D, environmentally friendly designs, disassembly, transportation and processing rules, and user introduction were also discussed.
The first edition of the recommendations for promoting appropriate end-of-life care, including recycling, was released in April 2016 and was based on this road map. waste removal These reports are anticipated to prompt more analysis of the rules governing the disposal of PV panel trash at the end of their useful lives.
In the next article, we will continue with Japan’s WEEE targets and financing plans. I wish God’s mercy on our losses in the Kahramanmaraş earthquake we experienced recently, my condolences to all of us, I wish you a healthy day with your loved ones...
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Figure 4. Waste from PV Panels[/caption]
Asst. Prof. Dr. Cemil Koyunoğlu
Department of Energy Systems Engineering
Faculty of Engineering
Yalova University
