With the large-scale utilization of photovoltaic power generation, the recycling of decommissioned and used photovoltaic modules has become an obvious issue, and it has also brought huge new business opportunities to the industry.

This article is excerpted from the thesis "Sustainable Development of the Solar Energy Industry – Focusing on the Recycling and Reuse of Used Photovoltaic Modules" by a graduate student majoring in sustainable development at the University of Jean-Moulin Lyon III in France. The article conducts an in-depth analysis and analysis of the recycling and reuse of used photovoltaic modules. Research, the author Mr. He Shuangquan has been engaged in the photovoltaic manufacturing industry for more than ten years. He is currently the executive president of Wuxi Suntech Solar Power Co., Ltd. and the executive chairman of Wuxi New Energy Chamber of Commerce. His insights are profound and wise. This website specially excerpts the content of his paper and edits it into an independent article for publication. For readers.

Since the introduction of grid-connected benchmark electricity prices in 2014, domestic photovoltaic power generation installed capacity has grown rapidly and continues to maintain an average annual growth rate of more than 100%. Currently, the domestic cumulative installed photovoltaic power generation capacity has exceeded 200GW. It is expected that in 2022, China's cumulative installed photovoltaic power generation capacity will exceed 100%. will exceed 300GW.

With the rapid development of photovoltaic power generation, the problem of recycling and reuse of waste photovoltaic modules has also arisen. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the accumulated photovoltaic module waste worldwide will reach millions of tons by 2030; and by 2050, it will reach tens of millions of tons. According to the prediction of the Institute of Electrical Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, starting from 2020, the amount of domestic waste photovoltaic modules will also increase significantly. By 2030, domestic waste photovoltaic modules can produce 1.45 million tons of carbon steel, 1.1 million tons of glass, and 540,000 tons of plastics. , 260,000 tons of aluminum, 170,000 tons of copper, 50,000 tons of silicon and 550 tons of silver.

The research results of the Ministry of Science and Technology’s 863 Project show that even if the existing photovoltaic power stations are well operated and maintained, the cumulative number of retired photovoltaic modules in the country will reach nearly 60GW by 2034; if the power station is operated and maintained in average condition, the cumulative number of retired photovoltaic modules is likely to exceed 70GW. . According to Lu Fang, a member of the research team and secretary-general of the Photovoltaic Committee of the China Green Supply Chain Alliance, by 2050, China’s waste photovoltaic modules will reach 20 million tons, which is 2,000 times the weight of the Eiffel Tower.

On the one hand, if these waste components are not handled properly, they will have serious negative impacts on the environment and society, making the original "green" intention no longer "green".

On the other hand, the new energy industry is the main connotation and important support of low-carbon development and green economy, and low-carbon development and green economy are the driving force of the new energy industry. When the price issue of used photovoltaic modules left over from the development of the photovoltaic industry is not properly resolved, it will inevitably hinder the sustainable development of the photovoltaic industry.

The traditional development model based on resource and energy consumption has posed increasingly severe challenges to the human living environment. Green development and the development and utilization of clean energy have become the main theme of development around the world. In this process, the photovoltaic industry has played an important role. It will also play a greater historical role.

But at the same time, the large-scale application of photovoltaic power generation has given rise to the problem of recycling waste photovoltaic modules. Therefore, studying the recycling and reuse of decommissioned and used photovoltaic modules has very positive practical significance.

First of all, the recycling of used photovoltaic modules is conducive to the reuse of resources.

The large-scale application of solar photovoltaic power generation technology will significantly increase the consumption of some rare metals. For example, the electrode preparation of crystalline silicon batteries requires the consumption of silver, tellurium, indium, gallium, etc. These materials also have broad application prospects in other cutting-edge technology fields. If the rare metals in photovoltaic modules are not recycled after they are scrapped, it will inevitably cause huge waste.

According to research by the EU PV CYCLE organization, among waste photovoltaic modules, glass accounts for about 70% of the total weight, aluminum materials account for about 18%, and semiconductor materials account for about 4%.

In other words, most of the materials used in photovoltaic modules can be recycled. Through the recycling and reuse of waste photovoltaic modules, materials such as rare metals, glass, aluminum and semiconductors can be recycled to reduce the exploitation of primary resources, reduce the energy consumption of resource refining, and reduce the impact and damage to the ecological environment. Purpose.

Secondly, the recycling and reuse of used photovoltaic modules can give rise to new industrial forms and create more employment value.

Judging from the current recycling process of used photovoltaic modules in Europe, the entire operation and management process of used photovoltaic modules includes collection, registration, transportation, recycling, recycling, etc. Each link requires a large number of personnel to participate, especially recycling. This link requires professional recycling technicians. Therefore, the recycling of used photovoltaic modules can give rise to new industrial forms and create more employment value.

Furthermore, the recycling and reuse of used photovoltaic modules is conducive to realizing true greenness throughout the life cycle of photovoltaic power generation, thereby promoting the sustainable development of the solar energy industry.

Since the industrialization of photovoltaic power generation technology, governments and enterprises in various countries have been actively committed to the green production and operation of photovoltaic power generation. So far, the industrial chain of crystalline silicon photovoltaic technology has achieved pollution-free and environmentally friendly requirements from raw material production, cell manufacturing, component processing to system installation and operation. However, the random disposal of used photovoltaic modules has created many environmental problems. pollution problem.

The new energy industry is the main connotation and important support of low-carbon development and green economy, while low-carbon development and green economy are the driving force of the new energy industry, and the two complement each other. Therefore, only by recycling waste photovoltaic modules, the last link in the photovoltaic industry chain, can the photovoltaic industry be green and pollution-free from source to terminal, thereby promoting the sustainable development of the solar energy industry.