Recycling of photovoltaic panels - A review of the current trends

Abstract

Abstract Towards the end of the 20th century there was a huge boom in the development of solar energy, which led to an increase in the production of photovoltaic panels. The producers assume a lifetime of these panels of 30 years. Today, the life of this photovoltaic panels is ending and a large amount of waste is associated with it. This issue is also addressed by the Council of the European Union, which issued Directive 2012/19/EU on waste electrical and electronic equipment. Photovoltaic panels are included in IV. category “Consumer electronics and photovoltaic panels”. This Directive mandates that at least 70% of photovoltaic panel materials must be reused or recycled. This paper presents a review of the current trends in recycling of photovoltaic panels and the possibilities of reuse in cement matrix.