A state-of-art review on end-of-life solar photovoltaics

In last two decades, solar photovoltaic industry has shown tremendous growth among all renewable energy sectors, as a result, the concern of their end-of-life waste management increased. This study reviews the current state-of-art on end-of-life photovoltaics in terms of the materials used during manufacturing, their fate in environment, short-term & long-term leaching behaviour, applicability of current standard waste characterisation methods, possible human & ecological risk, manufacturers & consumers perspective towards management and recycling. A comprehensive comparative analysis of various findings from recent studies regarding the subject of end-of-life photovoltaic waste was done. Special emphasis was given on understanding the material release from first and second generation photovoltaics as per various theoretical and experimental studies to identify knowledge gaps. The findings from review shows that metals, such lead, copper, iron and aluminium have the potential to exceed hazardous waste limits, though a majority of them do not exceed the standard waste methods limit. Among the various modules, the highest material release was observed from crystalline-silicon modules. Further, if solar modules are disposed in landfills, the increase in leachate pollution index is mainly due to the leached heavy metals such as lead and chromium as the effect due to other parameters is negligible. At present, solar photovoltaics are generally grouped with electronic waste and is not classified under any waste category (hazardous or non-hazardous) except the United States of America and Europe. Amendments in existing waste characterisation tests considering the complexity of photovoltaic waste and disposal mode should be considered. Further, as per various studies, progressing research is needed to establish standardized methods for recycling of photovoltaics. Present study gives a summary and future outlook on end-of-life solar photovoltaics with recommending the future directions for researchers and public policymakers.