Solar panels are a vital mix in the race to generate clean energy, but - at the end of their life - they can become a significant environmental problem.
Currently, in the United States recycles a mere ten percent of its solar panels every year. The rest go into landfill, even though they are packed with reusable materials. The good news is that industry pioneer SolarPanelRecycling.com has just opened a new, state-of-the-art solar panel recycling facility in Texas, leading the sector in its capacity to reuse and repurpose outdated solar panels.
The large facility, built on the abandoned site of an old industrial complex, can recycle or responsibly dispose of photovoltaic panels in addition to inverters, cables, and batteries. Better yet, their new technology can recover up to 95 percent of the silicon from solar cells, a marked improvement from the current industry standard.
As you might expect, the entire operation is powered by solar and wind and - in a further demonstration of the company's eco credentials - reuses 98 percent of the water needed in the recycling process.
The Texas facility brings the company’s recycling capability up to approximately three million solar panels annually - and sets a solid example of how to meet the industry’s needs with innovation. Such recycling centres are going to become ever more important as most analysts predict that global solar panel installations are expected to triple by 2030.