RECYCLING PV TO BE BIG BIZ

PV Recycling Market Predicted To Grow Dramatically Over Next Decades
16 January 2012 (Solar Industry)

"The global solar PV market has witnessed tremendous growth over the past decade, with cumulative installed capacity growing from 1,459 MW in 2000 to 40,758 MW in 2010…a compound annual growth rate of 40%... mainly came from increased installation activity in countries such as Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, France, the U.S. and Japan.

"…[T]here is a growing need for processing PV waste in the coming years…The waste generated by end-of-life modules in 2025 is expected to be approximately 24,855 tons. This waste is expected to further increase to 1,161,173 tons by 2035."

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"Crystalline modules will account for the majority of solar PV waste generated during this period, rising from 19,475 tons of waste generated in 2025, to 1,098,282 tons by 2035. Against this backdrop, PV recycling will become an emerging market during these 15 years…For every watt of PV module treated in the recycling unit, $0.58 in recycled value is expected to be generated in 2025. With a 100% collection rate, 278 MW of end-of-life modules are expected to be recycled in 2025.

"…[I]t is expected that the end-of-life modules will increase to 17,000 MW by 2035, while the per-watt recycled product value of these modules is expected to reach $1.21. The major factors driving this trend are the rising annual installation trends… the expected increase in recycling rates of module materials…[and] market price variations…"