California has been at the forefront of the push for solar power, building the largest solar market in the U.S. More than 20 years and 1.3 million rooftops later, the bill is coming.
Starting in 2006, the state, focused on encouraging people to go solar, offered subsidies to homeowners who installed solar panels but didn’t have a comprehensive plan to dispose of them. Now, glasses purchased through those programs are nearing the end of their typical 25-to-30-year life cycle.
10:30 pm July 14, 2022 An earlier version of this article incorrectly described the environmental risks posed by heavy metals in consumer imaging equipment. This story has been edited to clarify that feathers containing toxic substances are routed to landfills with additional protection against spills, and to note that feathers containing cadmium and selenium are used in standard applications. energy level. An earlier version of this article also misstated a statement by Evelyn Butler, vice president of technical services for the Solar Energy Industries Assn., and Jen Bristol, the group’s senior director of communications. It also misidentified the group as the Solar Energy Industries Assn. An earlier version of this article also failed to properly attribute quotes from Jigar Shah, director of the Department of Energy’s Office of Loan Programs, to their source, in a 2020 interview with PV Magazine. The article has also been updated to reflect Shah’s current professional relationship as well as that of Sam Vanderhoof. An earlier version of this article also stated that 25 years was the life cycle of photographic lenses; the text has been updated to indicate that 25 to 30 years is the normal service life but not a fixed limit. Additionally, in a discussion about taking photocopier panels to recycling or hazardous waste facilities, the word “cells” has been changed to “panel” to be more accurate.
An earlier version of this article incorrectly described the environmental risks posed by heavy metals in consumer electronics. This story has been edited to clarify that feathers containing toxic substances are routed to landfills with additional protection against spills, and to note that feathers containing cadmium and selenium are primarily used in applications. energy level.
An earlier version of this article also misstated a statement by Evelyn Butler, vice president of technical services for the Solar Energy Industries Assn., and Jen Bristol, the group’s senior director of communications. It also misidentified the group as the Solar Energy Industries Assn.
An earlier version of this article also failed to properly attribute quotes from Jigar Shah, director of the Department of Energy’s Office of Loan Programs, to their source, in a 2020 interview with PV Magazine. The article has also been updated to reflect Shah’s current professional relationship as well as that of Sam Vanderhoof.
An earlier version of this article also stated that 25 years was the life cycle of photographic lenses; the text has been updated to indicate that 25 to 30 years is the normal service life but not a fixed limit. Additionally, in a discussion about taking photocopier panels to recycling or hazardous waste facilities, the word “cells” has been changed to “panel” to be more accurate.
Many are already flowing into landfills, where in some cases, they may contaminate groundwater with toxic heavy metals such as lead, selenium and cadmium.
Sam Vanderhoof, solar industry expert and CEO of PV Solar Recycling, said only 1 in 10 panels are actually recycled, according to estimates from the International Renewable Energy Agency’s data. about clipped wings and industry leaders.
The looming challenge of how to manage waste trucks, some of which are polluted, shows how cutthroat environmental policy can create unexpected problems on the road.
“Industry has to be green,” said Vanderhoof. “But really, it’s about the money.”
California is an early adopter of solar energy. Small government rebates did little to lower the cost of solar panels or to encourage their adoption until 2006, when the California Public Utilities Commission created the California Solar Initiative. That provided $3.3 billion in subsidies to install rooftop solar panels.
The measure exceeded its goal, lowering the cost of solar panels and increasing the share of the region’s electricity generated by the sun. Because of that and other measures, such as the requirement that utilities buy a portion of their electricity from renewable sources, solar power now represents 15% of the state’s capacity.
But as California moves forward with its renewable energy program, focusing on rebates and — most recently — a proposed solar tax, questions about how to handle the waste that will accumulate years later they are never fully addressed. Now, both managers and board producers realize they don’t have the power to manage what’s next.
“This garbage is likely to come sooner than we expected, and it will be a lot of garbage,” said Serasu Duran, an assistant professor at the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business in Canada. “But with all the focus on building this renewable capacity, not much consideration has been given to the end of life of this technology.”
Duran wrote a recent article in the Harvard Business Review that noted that “the power industry is ill-prepared for the flood of waste that is likely to come.”
It’s not just a problem in California but also across the country. A new solar project will be installed every 60 seconds by 2021, according to a fact sheet published by the Solar Energy Industry Assn.
Although 80% of the common photographic board is made of recyclable materials, disassembling and restoring the glass, silver and silicon is very difficult.
“There’s no doubt that there will be an increase in solar panels going into the landfill over the next decade,” said AJ Orben, vice president of We Recycle Solar, a Phoenix-based company that breaks down the glass and recycles it for value. . metals by throwing out toxic substances. “That was never a question.”
Most of our solar recycling business comes from California, but the company has no facilities in the state. Instead, the glasses were shipped to a facility in Yuma, Ariz. That’s because California’s strict permitting process for toxic materials makes it difficult to set up shop, Orben said.
Recycling sunglasses is not an easy process. Very specialized equipment and personnel are required to separate the aluminum frame from the panel junction box without breaking the glass panes. Special furnaces are used to heat the coils to restore the silicon. In most states, feathers are classified as hazardous materials, which require expensive restrictions on packaging, transportation and storage. (Most residential solar panels in the U.S. are crystalline silicon glass, which can contain lead, although it is less common in newer glass. Thinner solar panels, which contain cadmium and selenium, are primarily used for power level applications. )
Orben said the economics of the process don’t make a strong case for recycling.
Only $2 to $4 in materials are returned from each board. Most of the processing costs are labor-related, and Orben said that even recycling at scale would not be economical.
Much of the research in photovoltaics focuses on the recovery of solar-grade silicon to make recycling economically viable.
That undermines economic incentives against recycling. The renewable energy lab estimated that it costs about $20 to $30 to recycle a panel versus $1 to $2 to send it to the landfill.
Most experts think that’s where most panels end up right now. But it’s anyone’s guess. Natalie Click, a doctoral candidate in materials science at the University of Arizona, said there is no uniform system “to keep track of where all these scraps are going.”
The California Department of Toxic Substances has compiled its first data on feathers recycled by global waste managers in 2021. Among managers who accepted more than 200 pounds or disposed of more than 10,000 pounds of feathers, DTSC counted 335 feathers. accepted for recycling, said Sanford Nax, a spokesman for the agency.
The department expects that the number of solar panels installed in the next decade will exceed hundreds of millions in California alone, and that recycling will become more important as cheaper panels with shorter lifespans become available. famous ones.
Consumers’ lack of awareness about toxic substances in some feathers and how to dispose of them is part of the problem, experts say.
“There’s an information gap, there’s a technology gap, and there’s a financial gap that we’re working on,” said Amanda Bybee, founder of SolarRecycle.org, a website designed to help people understand how to recycle. -sunglass manufacturing and how the process works.
Last year, a new DTSC regulation went into effect that reclassified wind turbines, changing the way they can be collected and transported. Previously, all feathers were required to be treated as hazardous waste when shipped, which limited transportation and storage.
Both commercial and residential customers, or generators as they are called in the recycling industry, are required to take the batteries themselves to certified recycling or hazardous waste sites. With a little follow up, it’s not clear how often that happened.
Solar panels are now classified as international waste and can be collected from more than 400 international waste management sites in California, where they are evaluated and transported to disposal, reuse or recycling sites. Above, solar panels are installed on the roof.
(Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
Currently, feathers are classified as international waste and can be collected from more than 400 international landfills in California, where they are then evaluated and transported to disposal, reuse or recycling sites. (In cases where feathers containing toxic substances are returned to landfills, they are sent to facilities with extra protection against spills.) The new rules are intended to make it easier for people to turn in their feathers, but I didn’t directly address the next one. action – recycling.
“What [the law] does is really just how to handle, manage, store and ship,” said Orben of We Recycle Solar. “It doesn’t change how that material is actually manufactured.”
In 2016, the Solar Energy Industries Assn., a nonprofit trade association for the U.S. solar industry, launched a recycling program for solar panels. Robert Nicholson, the association’s PV recycling manager, said it aims to help the industry group’s recycling partners – five so far – “to develop valuable recycling services for the sector”. end of life.”
“Most recyclers are already recyclers; they’re primarily doing e-waste or doing glass,” said Evelyn Butler, the organization’s vice president of technical services. “So we have to work with them to take that leap, to say: ‘We believe that the methods you are using can cover the technology. Wings going to landfills.’
Government subsidies are one way that solar panel recycling is economically viable for landfills, which currently incur high recycling costs.
In Europe, a recently created regulation called the European Union Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive places the responsibility on manufacturers to support their products through the responsibility of end-of-life disposal. It requires all manufacturers of panels in EU countries to finance end-of-life collection and recycling.
Similar laws have been attempted in several US states, including Washington, where the Photovoltaic Module Stewardship and Takeback Program will require solar power producers to fund end-of-life recycling. The initiative was approved in 2017 and will go into effect in 2025. It is the only product liability law in the United States.
It’s part of a larger strategy in the recycling industry called extended product liability, in which the cost of recycling is built into the cost of the product originally purchased. Business entities in the product chain – rather than the public – are responsible for end-of-life costs, including recycling costs.
In a 2020 interview with PV Magazine, Jigar Shah, founder of Generate Capital, a fund that invests in sustainable infrastructure, said that the problem can be solved at the beginning of the product chain – by manufacturers. Shah, who is now director of the Department of Energy’s Office of Credit Programs, said policymakers need to require manufacturers to come up with a better design that makes glass easier and cheaper to recycle. .
“It’s very valuable for manufacturers to be forced to work together … where they try to significantly reduce costs all together. That happens through politics,” he said. “It doesn’t happen without voters.”
Although 80% of a typical photographic panel is made of recyclable materials, disassembling the panel and recovering the glass, silver and silicon is very difficult.
In April 2022, Santa Monica completed a solar recycling pilot program in partnership with the California Manufacturing Authority, a public-private partnership. The governing body surveyed local solar owners and found that many, at a loss as to what to do with their solar panels, eventually call installers for help.
“We’ve found that solar installers are the best contact for us to find out how many panels are installed in our region,” said Drew Johnstone, a Santa Monica sustainability analyst. “Some of the contractors have ended up stockpiling their warehouses, because there is no good solution to deliver.”
Johnstone said that international waste recycling has made a big difference, reducing the cost and paperwork needed to manage the parts, and more handlers can accept the glasses for generators.
“It’s going to be a huge thing in a few years,” Johnstone said. “Therefore, it is mandatory for the local governments, the state, the state, and it can also go to the federal government, to make a plan for all these boards that will reach the end of their life in 10 to 15 years.”
Kisela is a private journalist.
Is solar energy cheap or expensive?
The report follows the conclusion of the International Energy Agency (IEA) in its World Energy Outlook 2020 that solar energy is now the cheapest energy source in history. To see also : San diego solar initiative. The technology is cheaper than coal and gas in most major countries, the findings found.
What is the cheapest form of energy? In March 2021, Bloomberg New Energy Finance found that “renewables are the cheapest option for 71% of global GDP and 85% of global electricity production.
Does solar energy cost a lot of money?
Once installed, the average residential-size 5kW system costs between $3 and $5 per watt, according to CSE, which translates to $15,000 to $25,000. That cost is before any taxes and incentives. To see also : San diego solar eclipse. If you know your current energy consumption, you can calculate how much you need to pay for solar equipment.
Does solar energy actually save money?
In addition to the federal tax credit, solar panels increase property value by lowering energy bills. Compared to gas or electric heating systems, solar panels will save you more in the long run. Your solar panel system can pay for itself in three years!
Does solar energy cost a lot?
That said, there is widespread agreement that solar power is expensive. The US DOE’s Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that it is the most expensive form of electricity in current renewable energy technology, at about $396 per megawatthour of PV.
Is solar expensive or cheap?
When it comes to the cost of power from renewable energy sources, offshore wind and solar are currently the cheapest sources—costing less than gas, geothermal, coal, or nuclear. The sun, in particular, broke at a rapid pace. Just 10 years ago, it was the most expensive option to build a new energy development.
Is it really cheaper to go solar?
A residential solar system produces anywhere from 350 to 850 kWh per month. Therefore, you can save up to 95% off your energy bill.
How much more expensive is solar energy?
Fossil fuel electricity costs between 5 and 17 cents per kilowatt-hour. The cost of solar energy averages between 3 cents and 6 cents per kilowatt-hour and is falling.â€
Is solar really expensive?
Yes, solar panels are expensive. A typical 6 kW system that costs an average of $17,700 before incentives is a home improvement that requires a significant financial investment.
Is solar energy less expensive than electricity?
Although solar energy is expensive to buy and install initially, people find that solar energy is more expensive than electricity in the long run due to rising electricity prices.
Is solar energy high cost?
The cost of renewable energy reached an all-time low in 2018. Solar and wind power are currently among the most affordable renewable energy sources in the world, and experts predict that these costs will continue to decrease in the coming years.
What are the 2 main disadvantages of solar energy?
Solar Energy Losses
- Cost The initial cost of purchasing a solar system is quite high. …
- Weather-Dependent. Although solar energy can still be collected during cloudy and rainy days, the efficiency of the solar system decreases. …
- Solar energy storage is expensive. …
- Uses a lot of space. …
- Related to Pollution.
Is solar cheaper than regular?
The world’s best solar power systems now provide the cheapest “electricity… in history†with the technology being cheaper than coal and gas in most major countries. That’s according to the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook 2020.
Are solar panels a waste?
California passed SB 489 in 2015 to provide guidance on the safe disposal of unused solar panels, designating them as “universal waste.” Old TVs and dead batteries.
Are solar panels a waste of money? If you live in an area with high energy standards and favorable solar ratings and can afford the initial investment, it is worth installing solar panels on your home while the 26% tax credit is available – for the good of the environment and your environment. pocket. But don’t expect to eliminate your electricity bill overnight.
Is solar a waste?
Most companies buy into industry-led recycling programs. Junk solar equipment is considered electronic waste under EU law and needs to be disposed of as such.
What parts of solar panels Cannot be recycled?
“About 90% of most PV modules are made of glass,” said San Jose State environmental studies professor Dustin Mulvaney. “However, this glass often cannot be recycled as float glass due to contamination. Common problematic contaminants in glass include plastic, lead, cadmium and antimony.â€
What percentage of a solar panel is recyclable?
Only 10% of batteries in the United States are recycled—not required by federal regulations, recycling devices is now more expensive than throwing them away. But the materials in solar panels imported each year will cost an estimated $2 billion by 2050.
Can solar panels be completely recycled?
In California, solar panels must be disposed of as hazardous waste. It is the only state with waste disposal procedures, leading to the creation of a proper recycling practice.
Are solar panels considered toxic waste?
The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) recently completed a long-awaited review of its hazardous waste regulations that will allow PV solar panels to be treated as “universal waste†effective January 1, 2021.
Are solar panels toxic to the environment?
Some of these metals, such as lead and cadmium, are highly harmful to human health and the environment. If these metals are present in high concentrations in solar panels, solar waste can be a hazardous pollutant under RCRA.
How much toxic waste do solar panels produce?
“Solar panels generate 300 times more toxic waste per unit of energy than nuclear power plants.
Does solar energy produce toxic pollution?
Solar energy technology and power plants do not produce air pollution or greenhouse gases when operating.
Why do farmers not want solar farms?
They have concerns that solar farms are leaking chemicals into the ground or that solar energy production is bad for the environment, but both of these arguments are untrue. Solar panels are made of aluminum, glass, and sand, and the production is generally clean.
Why are people against the solar industry? “The waste issues with solar panels are huge. According to an analysis by Environmental Development, solar panels generate up to 300 times more toxic waste per unit of electricity than nuclear power plants.
Do solar farms contaminate the soil?
Finally, most solar farms are actually safe to operate. However, toxic heavy metals and silicone products are used in these projects. Units or time may release pollutants into the environment. As such, consider taking soil samples to monitor potential contamination.
Do solar panels contaminate soil?
Silicon is the second most abundant element in the earth’s crust and plays a natural role in plant growth. But even if it is harmful, research has not shown any benefits from solar systems in the soil.
Do solar farms produce toxic waste?
But the toxic nature of solar panels makes their environmental impact worse than the amount of waste. Solar panels are fragile and break easily. When they do, they immediately become dangerous, and are classified as such, because they contain heavy metals. Therefore, it is classified as hazardous waste.
Do solar farms harm the soil?
High levels of vegetation, continuous cutting, and the use of cookies, stone, or plastic will all have a negative effect on the land of herbicide residues, soil compaction and erosion, and some harmful particles left in the soil resulting in pollution of heavy metals and rare earth elements used in solar panels.
What are the problems with solar farms?
The clearing and use of large tracts of land for solar energy facilities can adversely affect native plants and wildlife in many ways, including habitat loss; interference with rainfall and runoff; or direct contact that causes injury or death.
Are there dangers with solar farms?
The electricity from the solar panels and the transmission of electricity emits very weak electric fields. Exposure to low-level electromagnetic devices has been extensively studied, and there is no evidence that they are harmful to human health, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Do solar panels ruin farmland?
You should not burn crops under or around solar installations; this may cause electrical fire and equipment damage. However, solar can still be installed on the farm where combustion is not required.
What are 3 negatives about solar energy?
Solar Energy Losses
- Cost The initial cost of purchasing a solar system is quite high. …
- Weather-Dependent. Although solar energy can still be collected during cloudy and rainy days, the efficiency of the solar system decreases. …
- Solar energy storage is expensive. …
- Uses a lot of space. …
- Related to Pollution.
Do solar panels ruin farmland?
You should not burn crops under or around solar installations; this may cause electrical fire and equipment damage. However, solar can still be installed on the farm where combustion is not required.
Do solar farms damage land?
Environmental Impacts The clearing and use of large tracts of land for solar energy facilities can adversely affect native plants and wildlife in many ways, including loss of habitat; interference with rainfall and runoff; or direct contact that causes injury or death.
Why do farmers not like solar panels?
Although solar generation does not produce emissions, the construction process can have a negative impact on the environment. The raw material extraction process and the siting facilities disrupt the local ecosystem. PV panels require rare materials, such as silver, whose production is energy intensive and polluting.
Do solar panels ruin soil?
Silicon is the second most abundant element in the earth’s crust and plays a natural role in plant growth. But even if it is harmful, research has not shown any benefits from solar systems in the soil.
How much solar do I need for my house?
To understand your usage, a good rule of thumb is to reflect your total energy usage over the last twelve months on your energy bills. Most utility bills provide this information. Divide that number by 12 and you have a rough estimate of what you will need your solar panels to produce each month.
How many solar panels do I need to increase my home calculator? You can calculate how much solar you need by multiplying your home’s energy demand during the peak sunlight hours in your area and dividing by panel wattage. Use an example of low wattage (150 W) and high energy (370 W) to create a scale (eg: 17-42 panels to generate 11,000 kWh/year).
How many kW do I need to run my house on solar?
You can simply divide your annual kWh by 1,200 and you will get the kilowatts of solar power needed. So, if the energy usage reported on your last 12 bills adds up to 24,000 kWh, you’ll need a 20 kW system (24,000/1,200 = 20).
Is 10 kW solar enough to run a house?
Yes, depending on where you live, a 10kW solar system will be enough to power the average home of a family of four and enough to power the average 2,000 square foot American home.
How much solar power is needed to run an average home?
The average American home is about 1500 square feet. For a home of this size, a typical electric bill comes to about $100 a month. To power this house, you will need approximately 15-18 solar panels.
How many solar panels do I need for a 2000 square foot house?
So, a 2,000 square foot home will allow 4,000 watts of solar power. Depending on the type of panel you choose, this system size will be anywhere from 12-18 solar panels. Keep in mind, this formula for calculating usage varies depending on who supplies your electricity.
How many solar cells does a house need?
How many solar panels does the average house need? For a 1500 square foot home, it is estimated that 15 to 18 solar panels will be needed.
Can I plug a solar panel into an outlet?
You can’t simply connect the solar panel to your home and use the panel to turn off the circuit the utility is connected to. The voltage supplied by the board or board layout is too erratic to provide constant power to the circuit. This can damage the equipment connected to the circuit and even pose a fire hazard.
How many solar panels do I need to power?
To determine the number of panels you need to achieve the size of the solar system, divide the wattage of each panel (which averages around 320 watts). For example, if you are aiming for a 4 kW system, you would divide 4 kW (or 4,000 watts) by 320 watts to get 12.5.
How much solar power is needed to run an average home?
The average American home is about 1500 square feet. For a home of this size, a typical electric bill comes to about $100 a month. To power this house, you will need approximately 15-18 solar panels.
How many watts do I need to run my house on solar power?
Divide the average hourly energy requirement by the number of hours of peak sunlight in your area. This gives you the amount of energy your glasses need to produce each hour. So the average American home (900 kWh/month) in an area that gets five hours of peak sunlight per day will need 6,000 watts.
Can a house run on solar power alone?
Fact vs. Myth: Can Solar Energy Power a Whole House? [2021 Update] One of the most common questions asked by homeowners regarding solar energy is, “can it really power my whole house? power your whole house.
How much solar power is needed for a small home?
15 solar panels will power a typical small house. This assumes an average solar panel size of approximately 300 watts, which can generate approximately 4,500 watts of electricity from the sun.