Kitap bölümü Erişime Kapalı

The effect of thermal treatments on photovoltaic module recycling

2023    Celiktas, Melih Soner; Birtürk, Aslı; Keskin Gündoğdu, Tuğba

In the last decade, photovoltaic (PV) system installations have gained momentum all over the world. Meanwhile, c-Si (crystalline silicon) photovoltaic panels, which are operated in 80% of installations, have been dominated the market for many years in terms of efficiency and cost balance. Thin film technology types are among the second-generation PV technologies are preferred in the market apart from the first-generation c-Si PV panels. Besides, thin film panels such as CdTe (cadmium telluride) and CIGS (copper indium gallium selenide) are generally integrated in architectural structures of various shapes, especially due to their flexible structure. Scientific research on promising third and fourth generation PV technologies continue to evolve around the world. Although there are many PV cell technologies that have been accepted in the literature, emerging technologies must be suitable in terms of durability, stability, efficiency, reliability, and cost to take place in the market.

The growing popularity of PV panels has been increased the share of renewable energy and reduced the dependence on fossil resources. On the other hand, the rise in popularity also creates environmental issues. PV panels will eventually become waste due to their limited lifetime of 25-30 years. This situation has been effective in the prominence of recycling research in recent years. In addition, loss in earlier stages due to some types of failures and defects in PV systems has accelerated the recycling studies against the waste problem.

Studies in this field have started to become widespread in the literature as the subject of PV recycling has become an increasingly ongoing issue. Especially, polymer layers in thin film and c-Si PV panels cause challenges in recycling processes. Since it degrades the polymer structure in various processes, thermal treatment is applied in both traditional and innovative methods for PV recycling. Therefore, thermal methods are frequently used in the recycling industry.

The effects of the thermal treatment process, which is frequently preferred in the literature, are evaluated in this chapter. In this direction, it is aimed to be strategically prepared for future developments and problems to gain an instructive perspective on existing PV systems and the technologies.