Recycling of photovoltaic modules, a market that is beginning to grow

The photovoltaic solar market has reached high figures and contributed to the mitigation of climate change. 

Solar energy attracted more than R$59,6 billion in new investments in 2023 to Brazil, a growth of 49% compared to the investments accumulated until the end of 2022. 

This result comes from the sum of large plants (Centralized Generation) and self-generation systems (Distributed Generation), points out the ABSOLAR (Brazilian Photovoltaic Solar Energy Association).

The survey also shows that the solar source has generated more than 352 thousand new green jobs in the country and that since 2012, when photovoltaic energy began to rise in Brazil, the source has generated more than R$ 181,3 billion in business and generated more than 1,1 million new jobs.

All these positive points are accompanied by challenges, one of which is the disposal of the components in the chain at the end of their useful life. In the case of solar s, this must occur after 25 or 30 years. 

Therefore, despite having a long life, there is concern regarding the recycling chain of these materials and the specific legislation for the process.

A photovoltaic module is mainly made up of glass (70%) and aluminum (18%), but also contains other materials, such as EVA polymer (5,1%), metallic silicon (3,65%), polyvinyl fluoride (1,5%), copper and polymer cables (1%), aluminum in the inner conductor (0,53%), copper in the inner conductor (0,11%), silver and other metals such as lead, cium, tin, among others (0,11%).

According to Marinna Pivatto, a production engineer and master's student at UFSC (Federal University of Santa Catarina) with the theme “Circular Economy for Solar Energy: Reuse of Photovoltaic Modules”, it is possible to recycle almost 100% of a photovoltaic module, depending on the technology used in the recycling process. 

“As this is a new market, many studies are underway to implement efficient and economically viable processes,” he highlights. 

Want to read the full story? the 24st edition of the Magazine now Canal Solar

all the content of Canal Solar is protected by copyright law, and partial or total reproduction of this site in any medium is expressly prohibited. If you are interested in collaborating or reusing part of our material, please us by email: [email protected].