by Mark Hutchins*
Alongside general guidelines such as avoiding hazardous or hard to recycle materials, such as one-way adhesives, and developing a standardized labelling system allowing recyclers to identify materials, the report makes several points specific to PV module design. The authors advise module designers to give particular consideration to backsheet compositions, choice of metals, minimizing use of encapsulants or using reversible encapsulant materials, choosing a frame sealant that would allow for disassembly, and including some durable way for recyclers to identify the materials and construction of the module.
“If adopted today, application of these DfR guidelines could help to mitigate tomorrow’s resource scarcity, lower the barriers and cost for PV recycling, and enable a circular economy during the energy transition,” the author’s state.
Durability vs. recyclability
The report goes on to address the balance between designing products that last for a long time, and also considering ease of disassembly at end-of-life. “…all products reach end of life at some point, even durable ones, and it is better environmentally to recover and reuse those materials than lock them away in landfills,” they explain.
(for the rest of the article:
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/10/14/module-durability-and-design-for-recycling/ )
Photo: Module recycling plant in France. Considering disassembly and recycling in product design could boost the amount of material recovered from end-of-life modules.
Image: Ministère de la Transition écologique
* Mark Hutchins joined pv magazine in September 2016 as production editor of the monthly global title. Mark also works online reporting on upstream technology and markets, as well as newly emerging solar regions.
