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Solar Farms again - are panels biodegradable?

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winterwhite Tue 29-Nov-22 17:59:13

This follows an interesting thread about solar panels last August. The question of disposal of obsolete wind turbine blades was raised but not that of solar panels. I've since read that solar farms are supposed to 'last' for 35-40 years, after which the land can be returned to its former use. Can anyone confirm this?

35-40 years is not long. Maybe it's assumed that the panels will be replaced which raises the question of the disposal of the original panels. And it could also affect the business model - few of the original developers or indeed landowners will still be actively working after 40 years which could lead to neglect.

NB the piece I read was solely about solar farms and didn't mention either way solar the disposal of solar panels on roofs of houses.

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Katie59 Tue 29-Nov-22 18:27:30

They are definitely not “biodegradable”

They are recyclable, in what way I dont know they have a life of around 25 yrs.

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winterwhite Tue 29-Nov-22 20:41:45

Thanks, Katie.Yes of course re recyclable not biodegradable.

But we need to be certain of recyclability since they are so large and there will potentially be so many.

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Katie59 Tue 29-Nov-22 20:54:20

I did check and glass, aluminum, plastic, silver, and silicon are recovered. As the panels expire they are most likely to be replaced and the infrastructure reused, the panels themselves are now the cheapest part of the system.

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