Researchers from Australia and Poland have collaborated on a study to determine the value of upcycling key materials from end-of-life panels such as aluminium, glass and solar cells with the express purpose of purifying the components for reuse in solar panel manufacturing.
Researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Gdansk University of Technology and Polish Academy of Sciences have collaborated to study the value of purifying key components from end-of-life solar panels ideally for reuse in new solar panel manufacturing.
The scientists, Olivia Bowen, Anna Kuczynska-Lazewska, Rong Deng and Jacek Kluska examinied the differences in solar panel composition between different models and manufacturers to initially evaluate the ability of the modules to be recycled.
“Decommissioned silicon solar panels were collected from across Australia. Some of the modules were taken from the field because of technical failure or system upgrades whilst the remaining panels were new panels donated to the study by solar manufacturers,” the scientists said.
The twelve modules made by German, Chinese, South Korean and US manufacturers were dismantled to take samples of the aluminium frame, glass, and solar cell from compositional analysis.
