Slivers of reality starting to appear in the media, from the Australian today: Lu Fang, of the China Renewable Energy Society, has estimated that waste from solar panels in China alone would add up to 20 million tonnes, or 2000 times the weight of the Eiffel Tower, by 2050. Elsewhere in China, the general manager of Nanjing Fangrun Materials – a company that collects old solar panels – has said the solar power industry is a “ticking time bomb” that “will explode with full force in two or three decades and wreck the environment”. Closer to home, Chris Sayers, a green-recycling expert, recently told the ABC the e-waste produced by solar panels “is going to be stratospheric”. Researchers estimate Australia will accumulate one million tonnes of solar panel waste by 2047, the weight of 19 Sydney Harbour Bridges.
We export 200 million tons of coal to "Going Green Chinah" why not just place the old solar panels in an unused coal mine? There must be some large holes out there?
Except there ARE recycling companies already starting up exclusively for solar panels. Since they comprise : 1. aluminium frame (eminently recyclable) 2. glass cover (ditto) 3. usually plastic backing panel (the nasty bit) 4. Mostly silicate photovoltaic (only risk is from inhalation of fine particles)
Definitely on the way. The buyer of my building wanted an extension, but the accountant said definitely not past June 30 - he's certain the rules will change then, for the worse. Super is too big a honey pot for the government to keep their greasy hands off...
More from the article: These solar panels are made out of plastic, silicon, aluminium, glass and copper, with small amounts of toxic materials such as lead and hexavalent chromium. The challenge, when it comes to recycling, is separating the valuable materials from the hazardous. The process requires acids, which can also be toxic, and heavy machinery, which is energy-intensive. At the moment, those who are attempting to recycle these panels admit it is “cheaper to put them in landfill” than recover what value remains.
Look a bit further: https://www.solarrun.com.au/can-my-solar-panels-be-recycled/ We need to adopt the EU rules where manufacturers are responsible for recycling costs (built in to sales cost). Lots more toxic stuff getting dumped than PVs - plastics for the win as most destructive material...
Correct as so often. I have a client whom for decades I have funded or sourced funding for his ever-expanding re-cycling firm. I asked NOT LONG AGO about the recycling of solar panels (so the owner of a large /successful business in the recycling industry) His comments were of a similar nature. "Due to the high cost of recycling solar panels ALL used panels in Australia and to his knowledge WORLDWIDE go into landfill as does used wind turbines." "And that unless Governments subsidize the recycle of the two items, they will continue to end up as landfill " "That due to the cost of recycling there is no incentive to invest in plants" "That the only valuable material in a panel is silver and that glass/plastic are extremely low-value materials " I'm also told that recycling a solar panel in Australia is at costs around $30 per panel, and sending the same panel to a landfill cost 1 dollar! Specialized labor is required to detach and remove the panels to avoid damage and breakage. Another cost. Then there is the issue of transporting the panels, often classified as hazardous materials due to the lead and cadmium content, and the costs and restrictions in transporting which could involve select times routes for transport .. So NOT as simple as some would tell us!
Help fellow travelers... We drop the Cireon DS7 off at Basel airport, question do we fly onto Amsterdam or catch the overnight train with a sleeping compartment?
In Europe it's the train every time. You'll arrive feeling fresh in the centre of town, without the risk of having your pockets picked in the airport taxi queue.
True, although you will still have a beggar offer to “help” you buy your ticket on the machine. And then expect you to pay them for doing something you didn’t ask or want them to do…
Has this been posted already? FFS https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-union/bye-bye-bye-delilah-welsh-rugby-bans-tom-jones-classic-20230202-p5cham.html
It’s ok. It’ll be replaced by a song about a black transgender lesbian falling in love with a tree and saving us from climate change.
