Solar panel disposal: What you need to know

As the urgency for climate action increases, so does the adoption of renewable energy. Namely, solar photovoltaics (PV) – aka solar panels – are one of the fastest-growing clean energy sources. Solar panels have long lifespans, increasingly lower costs, and are environmentally safe. But what happens to solar panels when they stop producing electricity? Where do decommissioned solar panels go?

There are a few ways solar panels can be disposed of, and in this article, we break down what happens to a solar panel at the end of its life.

Solar panels have a useful life of about 30 years when they produce renewable, 100 percent emission-free energy. Certain materials found in PVs, like cadmium and lead, aren't harmful while the panel is in production but can become a toxic waste hazard if not properly disposed of, making end-of-life management incredibly important for solar energy's viability as a critical power source. As solar energy is a young industry, recycling and disposal technology is still being developed and lacks federal policy and regulation. Solar panels are commonly reused, recycled, or disposed of in landfills at the end of their useful life.

Solar panel recycling is beneficial to both the environment and the supply chain. As previously mentioned, solar panels contain many elements – some rare and valuable, like gallium and indium, and others potentially harmful, like cadmium and lead. Recycling solar panels allows reclaimed rare and valuable elements to be reused in new panels, preventing harmful materials from ending up in landfills. Recycling as a form of end-of-life management reduces the environmental impacts of solar energy even further and lowers the cost of solar overall.

While the environmental benefits of solar panel recycling make it the responsible disposal choice, it's also difficult and expensive. Solar panels are made up of several components, and each piece has a unique recycling process. In other words, solar panels cannot be recycled as solar panels; they must be deconstructed and separated by materials first, then recycled using the proper technique for each element. Breaking down a solar panel constructed to operate as a unit is not an easy or inexpensive task. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), recycling costs $28 per module, whereas landfilling costs $1.38 per module. Between these higher costs, technical complexity, and lack of policy around solar panel disposal, most PVs end up in landfills today.

With solar panel recycling still in its infancy, landfills are currently the cheaper and easier disposal option. But, using landfills as an end-of-life solar panel disposal solution is unsustainable. As we've already explained, harmful materials found in solar panels can become a toxic waste problem. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) projects that there could be 80 million metric tons of solar panel waste globally by 2050. This would wreak havoc on the environment if most decommissioned PV systems continue to be sent to landfills. However, the situation isn't dire yet.

Unlike climate change, the solar panel end-of-life issue isn't an imminent threat. Roughly 70 percent of existing solar energy systems were deployed within the last five years, meaning PV disposal and recycling technology likely has decades to evolve to meet the growing need for safe and affordable end-of-life management. Moreover, the deployment of low-carbon energy, such as solar, is needed urgently to prevent and combat environmental crises like those that arise from fossil fuel-based energy operations. In addition to the greenhouse gasses fossil fuel energy sources regularly emit, events such as BP's Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 caused lasting harm to the natural environment.

So, while landfills are not a viable long-term solution to the looming solar panel waste issue and current recycling technologies aren't feasible for every solar project's end-of-life action plan, this doesn't negate the valuable solution solar energy brings to the immediate threat greenhouse gas emissions and climate change pose. And by implementing solar panel disposal policies and evolving technologies, it's an issue we can solve in the near future.

A solar panel's energy production declines over time. Eventually, all solar panels reach the end of their useful lives and can't generate power. While these panels aren't suitable for larger arrays, used solar panels can be useful for certain applications. Small, off-grid systems, for example, don't require the same efficiency or power as larger solar arrays. Refurbishing and reusing decommissioned solar panels offer a short-term alternative to landfilling without the complex process recycling requires.

Solar energy is a long-lasting, cost-cutting, emission-free electricity solution that continues to evolve to meet the needs of ratepayers and the natural environment. The EnergySage Marketplace provides qualified quote comparisons from local installers to help you find a solar system that fits your energy and budget needs. Sign up to receive free quotes from qualified, pre-vetted installers so you can start going solar today!