Solar panels are used widely and on a large scale across the globe today. So do you know how people dispose of these discarded solar panels when they are damaged or at the end of their lifespan? Today, let’s learn to learn.

Are discarded solar panels hazardous waste?

Not necessarily. In the current market test, different types of solar panels are not manufactured with the same raw materials. Some solar panel manufacturers will add some toxic metals such as cadmium or lead in the semiconductor, although this can improve the performance of solar panels to a certain extent. But it will bring more serious harm to the human body, but also to the environment.

According to relevant laws and regulations, when the concentration of cadmium and lead in the solar panel reaches a certain range, the discarded solar panels will be classified as hazardous waste, the discarded solar panels need to be recycled, you should contact the first off the company to send professionals to deal with.

Why do we need to recycle solar panels?

1. Although it is true that there are harmful substances in damaged solar panels, those materials are only in small quantities, and from a larger perspective, discarded solar panels still contain a large amount of recyclable materials, which can avoid unnecessary consumption of resources.

2. Moreover, according to the relevant energy agencies, in the next twenty years, the recycling of discarded solar panels will produce 75 million tons of raw materials for manufacturing. If the corresponding manufacturers put these recycled raw materials back into the manufacturing of solar panels, they can even save $15 billion in raw material costs.

3. However, at present, many countries still bury discarded solar panels in the ground, which not only causes a waste of raw materials, but also pollutes the environment in disguise, which is not desirable. Therefore, to this day, we a vigorously develop the recycling business of discarded solar panels.

How to recycle solar panels after damage?

In order to reduce the harm caused by waste solar panels to people, it is generally divided into three steps for recycling.

1. Find a company that specializes in the disposal of discarded solar panels, and let the professionals remove the aluminum frame and the junction box attached to the solar panel.

2. Generally the professionals will use some relevant tools to separate the glass on the solar panel from the monocrystalline or polycrystalline silicon through a mixture of heating, mechanical and chemical processes.

3. The last and most important step. Separate down the silicon and some special metals through mechanical methods for crushing, and then crushed into fine particles for separation and processing, so as to achieve the purpose of purification. Generally speaking, the special metals used can be silver, tin and copper, etc., but in order to save costs, most companies will choose the cheaper copper to carry out the crushing step.