A comprehensive review on the recycling technology of silicon based photovoltaic solar panels: challenges and future outlook

With the aim of realizing the goals of the Paris Agreement, annual solar power generation on a global scale using silicon PV panels had exceeded 1000 TWh by the end of 2021. Mass installation of silicon-based photovoltaic (PV) panels exhibited a socioenvironmental threat to the biosphere, i.e., the electronic waste (e-waste) from PV panels that is projected to reach 78 million tonnes by the year 2050. Recycling PV panels through e-waste management is crucial step in minimizing the environmental impact of end-of-life PV systems such as the release of heavy metals into the environment. An increasing amount of academic research on recycling approaches to PV panels that suggests different technology and policy challenges remain. The present review critically evaluates a range of recycling solutions, encompassing both lab-scale and pilot-scale research, and conducts analyses of their cost and environmental implications. A detailed discussion of the recycling policies adopted by governments worldwide to handle e-waste has also been provided. In this review article, the complete recycling process is systematically summarized into two main sections: disassembly and delamination treatment for silicon-based PV panels, involving physical, thermal, and chemical treatment, and the retrieval of valuable metals (silicon, silver, copper, tin, etc.). Furthermore, technical, and non-technical challenges and prospects are identified to guide future exploration and innovation. In the pursuit of sustainable recycling of solar PV panels, technology convenience, cost-effectiveness, and social desirability should come together to develop innovative recycling technologies with a high recovery rate of valuable metals

Energy characterization of forced ventilated Photovoltaic-DSF system in hot summer of composite climate

Performance of Photovoltaic-double skin façade (Photovoltaic-DSF) system in summer has been critical. Owing to high solar ingress, cooling requirement of a building significantly increases. Photovoltaic-DSF system provides a shield and controls the heat gain through fenestration in the interior spaces. In the present article, mathematical correlations are developed for energy characterization of forced-ventilated Photovoltaic-DSF system in India's hot summer zone i.e. Jaipur. The Photovoltaic-DSF system has been installed and monitored for Jaipur's summer months (May to July). L25 Orthogonal array of design parameters (air cavity thickness, air velocity, and PV panel's transparency) and their respective levels have been developed using Taguchi design to perform experiments. Based on experimental results, multiple linear regression has been used to forecast solar heat gain coefficient, PVs electrical power and daylighting illuminance indoors as function of design factors. The statistical significance of mathematical relationships is sorted by variance analysis, which is found to be in good accord with field measurements (R2 > 0.90). The proposed correlations are pragmatic in designing Photovoltaic-DSF systems for hot summer conditions. The Photovoltaic-DSF system with 30% transmittance and air velocity of 5 metres per second in 200 mm air cavity thickness achieved maximum energy performance in hot summers