3 ms·

In 20-30 years you'll have 1.5 million solar panels to dispose of. It's not zero waste at all. We're also talking Canada, which isn't the best for consistent

In 20-30 years you'll have 1.5 million solar panels to dispose of. It's not zero waste at all. We're also talking Canada, which isn't the best for consistent sunlight.

jillesvangurp 4y ago
Recycling for solar panels is already being worked on. Recovering things like silver is pretty interesting. The main challenge is waiting for obsolete panels. Just not a huge business yet. Nuclear plants also need decommissioning of course. Seems to be expensive due to all the radioactive material. Canada has plenty of sun. Most of the populated parts are at the same latitude as central Europe. They have hydro and wind too. And not a very large population.
- ErikVandeWater 4y ago
  People place higher expectations on recycling than is merited. I'm not arguing it's better or worse than nuclear in the long run. Just saying there is waste. Also, latitude is irrelevant. If central Europe got as much snow as Canada they'd probably have far less solar panels.
  - jillesvangurp 4y ago
    The flip-side is that there are not a lot of toxic or harmful materials in solar panels. It's mostly silicon (aka sand). Nobody talks about recycling coal. Not a thing. You burn it, it's gone and added to our atmosphere. Burning the equivalent in coal for even a single solar panel's life time production in energy, is probably quite a lot. Latitude is very relevant. Germans put lots of solar on their roofs for the same reason that that is probably a popular thing in Canada. Because they are at the same latitude. Toronto is at 44 degrees latitude. Berlin is further North at 52 degrees latitude. Madrid would be 40 degrees latitude. Most of the US is below 49 degrees latitude. Most of Canadian populated areas get more than enough sunlight. You might have a point with northern Canada or Alaska. Though those too get awesome amounts of light in the summer, which is why you might find people investing in solar there too. Just lots of economic benefits even if they work less well in the winter (or not at all in the polar circle). As it is, it makes plenty of sense for Germans to put solar on their roofs.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
ncmncm 4y ago
Dead solar panels are a precious resource: tons and tons of already super-high purity silicon. They are being warehoused against the time that they may be sold.

In 20-30 years you'll have 1.5 million solar panels to dispose of. It's not zero waste at all. We're also talking Canada, which isn't the best for consistent sunlight.

jillesvangurp 4y ago

Recycling for solar panels is already being worked on. Recovering things like silver is pretty interesting. The main challenge is waiting for obsolete panels. Just not a huge business yet. Nuclear plants also need decommissioning of course. Seems to be expensive due to all the radioactive material. Canada has plenty of sun. Most of the populated parts are at the same latitude as central Europe. They have hydro and wind too. And not a very large population.

ErikVandeWater 4y ago
People place higher expectations on recycling than is merited. I'm not arguing it's better or worse than nuclear in the long run. Just saying there is waste. Also, latitude is irrelevant. If central Europe got as much snow as Canada they'd probably have far less solar panels.
- jillesvangurp 4y ago
  The flip-side is that there are not a lot of toxic or harmful materials in solar panels. It's mostly silicon (aka sand). Nobody talks about recycling coal. Not a thing. You burn it, it's gone and added to our atmosphere. Burning the equivalent in coal for even a single solar panel's life time production in energy, is probably quite a lot. Latitude is very relevant. Germans put lots of solar on their roofs for the same reason that that is probably a popular thing in Canada. Because they are at the same latitude. Toronto is at 44 degrees latitude. Berlin is further North at 52 degrees latitude. Madrid would be 40 degrees latitude. Most of the US is below 49 degrees latitude. Most of Canadian populated areas get more than enough sunlight. You might have a point with northern Canada or Alaska. Though those too get awesome amounts of light in the summer, which is why you might find people investing in solar there too. Just lots of economic benefits even if they work less well in the winter (or not at all in the polar circle). As it is, it makes plenty of sense for Germans to put solar on their roofs.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

ncmncm 4y ago

Dead solar panels are a precious resource: tons and tons of already super-high purity silicon. They are being warehoused against the time that they may be sold.