With the vigorous development of the photovoltaic (PV) industry, the solar panels put into operation in the early stage are gradually entering the decommissioning period. The recycling of waste solar panels is not only an urgent need for environmental governance, but also contains multiple advantages for resource circulation and industrial upgrading, injecting strong impetus into green development.
Resource recycling is one of the core advantages of waste solar panel recycling. Solar panels contain a variety of valuable resources such as silicon, silver, copper, aluminum, and glass. After decommissioning, 60-80 tons of materials such as copper, aluminum, and plastic can be recycled per megawatt of PV equipment. If these "urban minerals" can be recycled in a standardized manner, the exploitation of primary resources can be significantly reduced. Through advanced technology for disassembly and purification, the purity of recycled glass can exceed 99% for direct reuse, and the metal recovery rate can even reach more than 99%. This not only eases the pressure of resource shortage, but also reduces the energy consumption of new material production.
The prominent environmental protection value is an important significance of recycling work. Waste solar panels contain harmful substances such as lead and fluorine. If randomly landfilled or incinerated, they will seep into soil and water sources, endangering the ecosystem and human health. Standardized recycling can effectively avoid this risk, while reducing land occupation and avoiding environmental pollution hazards caused by open-air stacking. Data shows that the full-life-cycle recycling of PV modules can potentially reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 35-55 megatons, providing strong support for the achievement of the "double carbon" goals.
Promoting the sustainable development of the industry is the long-term benefit of recycling work. At present, China's PV recycling industry has entered a 100-billion-yuan track, and it is expected that the market scale may exceed 420 billion yuan by 2050. The development of the recycling industry not only creates a large number of jobs, but also forces the innovation of disassembly technology, forming a circular industrial chain of "recycling - disassembly - reuse", and opening up the "last mile" of green development in the PV industry. At the same time, the improvement of the recycling system also enhances the international competitiveness of China's PV industry, helping the high-quality development of the new energy industry.
The recycling of waste solar panels is by no means a simple "waste disposal", but a green practice that balances resource benefits, environmental benefits and economic benefits. It is also an inevitable choice to promote the circular economy and realize sustainable development.
