What happens to a solar cell at the end of its life? Today it goes to the dump.
If we want the world to run on renewable energy, we’ll have to find a better way.
This is just one of the problems that still remain to be solved to realize solar energy’s potential. We want to make it easy for producers to upgrade as the tech improves, without filling up landfills and depleting the raw materials we need.
This is where some circularity thinking may help.
According to Garvin Heath, senior scientist at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, it currently costs $20 to $30 to recycle a panel versus $1 to $2 to send it to a landfill. . .
