i'd like to know what happens to all these solar panels at the end of its life cycle after 25 -30 years. will recycling be taken up, or will they just fill a landfill, if so, then it is green energy supplied at cost of land pollution no?
That's actually a question with many layers. Without writing an essay, here are three directions to think in:
One, the solar boom is still young, and it's hard to know what happens when today's panels are up for replacement. From what we know, it's feasible to re-use the silicon after the life of the panel, and over time, our bet is that this will become more economically viable with time.
Two, India's recycling ecosystem is extremely fractured. While we have recycling laws on paper, neither are they enforced, nor is it very practical to enforce them. We don't know if, and how, we'll ever fix these gaps.
Three, even in a best case scenario, "green technology" of all sorts causes environmental harm. There's no perfect answer; all we can do is look for Plan Bs and lesser evils.
i'd like to know what happens to all these solar panels at the end of its life cycle after 25 -30 years. will recycling be taken up, or will they just fill a landfill, if so, then it is green energy supplied at cost of land pollution no?
can these solar panels be produced sustainably?
Hey Pooran!
That's actually a question with many layers. Without writing an essay, here are three directions to think in:
One, the solar boom is still young, and it's hard to know what happens when today's panels are up for replacement. From what we know, it's feasible to re-use the silicon after the life of the panel, and over time, our bet is that this will become more economically viable with time.
Two, India's recycling ecosystem is extremely fractured. While we have recycling laws on paper, neither are they enforced, nor is it very practical to enforce them. We don't know if, and how, we'll ever fix these gaps.
Three, even in a best case scenario, "green technology" of all sorts causes environmental harm. There's no perfect answer; all we can do is look for Plan Bs and lesser evils.