When photovoltaic modules were first invented, they were mainly used in spacecraft. For example, the core module of my country's Tianhe space station uses solar panels to generate electricity and provide a continuous power supply.
Although solar power has now entered the era of grid parity, the requirements for its lifespan have not been relaxed at all; it is generally required to last between 20 and 30 years to ensure that waste is not minimized. However, solar modules that were put into operation at the end of the last century have now reached the end of their service life and must be replaced.
Under these circumstances, the recycling of photovoltaic modules has become a challenge. Photovoltaic modules are not particularly valuable and therefore not very attractive; furthermore, their high-density packaging makes recycling difficult.
Photovoltaic modules generally consist of five layers: the outermost layer is photovoltaic glass, followed by EVA film, solar cells, EVA film again, and finally, a photovoltaic backsheet. Among these, the photovoltaic glass, EVA film, and photovoltaic backsheet do not have high value. The solar cells contain some silver paste, but the total amount is very small and unlikely to attract capital attention.
More importantly, the EVA film maintains its strong sealing properties even after more than 20 years, making it extremely difficult for staff to remove the solar cells. The cost of removal even exceeds the value of the silver paste, further reducing the attractiveness of photovoltaic modules.
Moreover, as the use of silver paste decreases, the attractiveness of photovoltaic modules will continue to decline. Getting capital to participate in the recycling of photovoltaic modules will become even more difficult.
