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I'm waiting on a good answer to the end-of-life disposal issue. I've only heard a vague "it's worth it overall", but I'd rather not see the mined minerals be lo

• wyattpeak 5y ago
  What specifically are you waiting on? It's not hard to find information on the recyclability on PV cells (e.g. [1]). They're eminently recyclable, although they're mostly made of glass which isn't exactly high-value. Particular policy isn't going to be a global discussion, it's going to be jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction, and will likely follow similar lines to all recycling discussion. PV cells aren't made of especially rare minerals, so it's not likely to be a high-priority issue. That's perhaps disappointing, but given that's our default for pretty much all recycling, it's no great reason to worry about one particular technology. [1] https://www.greenmatch.co.uk/blog/2017/10/the-opportunities-of-solar-panel-recycling https://www.greenmatch.co.uk/blog/2017/10/the-opportunities-...
• qqqwerty 5y ago
  You might be waiting for a long time. While solar panels are rated for 20-30 years, there is some evidence that they can last much longer. And considering the vast majority of panels in existence today have been manufactured in the last 5 years, it will be quite a while before recycling panels is a major concern.