It’s estimated that 170,000 to 280,000 tons of solar panels will be disposed of annually in 2036. Shintora Kosan Company’s new method for recycling solar panels used a high-pressure water jet method to recycle batteries. The technology employed separated the cell peeling off the battery cells while the cover glass remained the same size as the original. Plans are to explore cover glass reuse. And solar panel manufacturer NPC Inc. has developed mechanical equipment able to recycle more than 90% of the materials contained in solar panels. Their device uses a blade heated to about 300°C to remove glass from the solar panel’s surface, breaking down the residue into different materials like resin and copper.
www.renewable.news/renewables/solar/japanese-companies-develop-technology-that-utilizes-solar-panels/