Photovoltaic panel processing inventory

How do we provide a global inventory of PV installations?

Here we provide a global inventory of commercial-, industrial- and utility-scale PV installations (that is, PV generating stations in excess of 10 kilowatts nameplate capacity) by using a longitudinal corpus of remote sensing imagery, machine learning and a large cloud computation infrastructure.

How a PV panel is recycled?

This phase includes transferring waste PV panel to the recycling facility. The PV waste is assumed to be transported by a truck with maximum capacity 7.5 tonnes to a local collection area located at a distance of 100 km. The PV waste from this local collection point is then transported to the recycling facility.

Where is PV Cycle based?

PV CYCLE’s recycling site is based in Germany and it has 351 collection points throughout Europe and the EoL service includes both crystalline silicon and TF technology. PV CYCLE treats mainly silicon-based PV panels (79.4 %).

Do life cycle inventories reduce emissions in PV module production?

The comparison of the most commonly used life cycle inventories (LCIs) (Ecoinvent v3.7 and PVPS 2015 ) with this study reveals the significant achievements in emission reduction in PV module production in the last 10 years.

What is the IEA photovoltaic power systems programme?

The IEA Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (IEA PVPS) is one of the TCP’s within the IEA and was established in 1993. The mission of the programme is to “enhance the international collaborative efforts which facilitate the role of photovoltaic solar energy as a cornerstone in the transition to sustainable energy systems.”

What materials can be recycled for photovoltaic panels?

In the case of aluminium, copper and silver, the expected recovered/recycled materials are assumed to substitute primary materials. The recovered solar glass is assumed to be down-cycled into glass for packaging; electronic-grade silicon metal used in photovoltaic panels is assumed to be recovered as MG silicon metal with lower purity.