Have you ever wondered what happens to solar panels when they stop working? Yes huh? Or you've heard solar skeptics say that. Apparently, a group of Italian innovators have thought about this more than us, and their solution could make the eyes of environmentalists and related economists shine. From panel disposal to urban mining: here's how a very special oven is transforming a problem into a precious resource. Literally.
When the sun sets on the solar panels
You have a faithful appliance at home that has served you for 30 years (at least according to Forbes)? He is ready for retirement, and one day you will have to say goodbye to him. He won't be alone. Imagine 50 million of them, all ready for retirement at the same time. Welcome to the world of solar panel disposal, a problem that is growing day by day in the folds of green energy boom.
Solar panels are awesome. Fantastic, truly. They give us clean energy, they reduce our bills. They are a modern fairy tale, and like all fairy tales they have an end, but not everyone lives happily ever after.
Panel disposal, the dark side of solar energy
Panel disposal is not a walk in the park, and the world is not yet well equipped to practice it. These giant, glittering rectangles are a mix of glass, precious metals and materials that would make a chemist pale. Throw them in landfill? It would be like throwing a gold mine into the ocean. Burn them? Stop right there, I'll report you.
A photovoltaic panel at the end of its life still has a lot to give. It can be considered a small mine of precious elements.
Francesco Miserocchi, chief technology officer of 9Tech
And he's right. But how to extract these treasures without turning the process into an environmental nightmare? Maybe he knows something about it.
9Tech: Italian alchemists of the third millennium
9Tech is a startup from Venice that has decided to tackle panel disposal as if it were a MasterChef challenge. Their dish has a secret ingredient: a combustion oven that makes your kitchen oven look like a toy.
This super oven heats the panels to over 398 degrees Celsius. At this temperature, the adhesives holding the panel together simply vaporize. The oven does not let these vapors end up in the atmosphere, but captures them. It's like it has a built-in extractor hood, but much, much more efficient.
The magic of recycling: from waste to treasure
Once the stickers are removed, the real show begins. The oven becomes a precision surgeon, separating silicon, silver and copper as if it were deboning a chicken. But with much more grace.
The result? A recovery of 90% of the silver and 99% of the copper. It's as if they've found a way to squeeze every last drop of juice out of an orange. Except in this case, the orange is a solar panel and the juice is worth its weight in gold.
The gain of perfection
Now, I know what you're thinking: “That's all very nice, but how much does this magic cost?” Well, I won't lie to you. 9Tech's process is more expensive than simply "throw everything in the landfill and forget about it." But here's the kicker: the recovered materials could more than offset the extra costs.
In the end, instead of paying to get rid of the panels, we could even profit from their retirement, and their subsequent revival. The future, we all hope, is circular.
Disposal of panels, the moral of the story
As 9Tech prepares to build a larger plant (they plan to handle up to 800 solar modules per day), I can't help but wonder: is this the future of panel disposal?
Marzullianly, I also answer myself. And I say yes. Panel disposal, from a potential environmental nightmare, is turning into an opportunity. The sun sets, and the dawn brings another future, other energy.
