30 December 2023
用于家庭和其他建筑的第一代太阳能电池板很快就会太旧，无法再使用。业主们需要更换它们。
但是，除了将旧设备送到垃圾填埋场之外，还能对其做些什么呢？
美国亚利桑那州的亚当·赛葛希望他能解决。
他是一家名为“We Recycle Solar”的公司的负责人。
他说，大多数太阳能电池板的使用寿命约为30年。许多最早在美国投入使用的面板已经到了实用性的极限。他说，大部分将被送往垃圾填埋场。
然而，他的公司和其他一些公司正在努力收集旧面板，并使其再次可利用。
他说，这个过程是他所说的“循环经济”的一部分。
他说：“（太阳能）是一种可持续的能源形式；需要有一个退役这些资产的计划。”
赛葛说，例如，许多失效的面板只有一点小问题。通常情况下，它可以很容易地修复。然后，修复后的零件可以提供给新市场，通常是在国外。
赛葛说，该公司的工程师学会了如何从旧太阳能电池板中回收有价值的材料。它们可以分离破损面板上的银、铜、玻璃和硅树脂。所有这些材料都有市场价值。
工程师们花了三年时间完善了材料回收过程，赛葛称之为“城市采矿”。
该公司位于尤马的工厂每天可以处理多达7500块太阳能电池板。赛葛说，他们可以从每块面板中回收高达99%的有用材料。
孟涛是亚利桑那州立大学教授，也是可持续能源系统专家。
他说，太阳能电池板的安装数量将达到20年来的最高水平。他说，到那时，正在生产的新面板数量将等于停用的旧面板数量。然而，回收旧面板的成本可能太高。
他说，到那时，房主很容易决定把他们的电池板送到垃圾填埋场。但他说，美国政府应该为太阳能电池板回收项目提供资金，作为其环境政策的一部分。
这样，对房主来说，也更容易做出更好的选择。
赛葛说，他希望他的公司是在正确的时间进入这项业务。从旧面板中回收材料是一项成本高昂的工作。他说这需要大量的劳动力、时间和精力。
但他认为，取出有价值的材料并将其送回供应链是一个成功的想法。
赛葛说：“这是增长中的市场，令人兴奋的是，我们站在了最前沿。”
The first generation of solar panels in use on homes and other buildings will soon be too old to work anymore. Owners will need to replace them.
But, what can be done with the old equipment, aside from adding it to waste landfills?
Adam Saghei in the U.S. state of Arizona hopes he has the answer.
He is the leader of a business called We Recycle Solar.
He said most solar panels last about 30 years. So many of the first panels put to use in America are reaching the end of their usefulness. Most will go to landfills, he said.
However, his company, and a few others, are working to collect old panels and make them useful again.
He said the process is part of what he called "the circular economy."
"(Solar) is a sustainable form of energy; there needs to be a plan for the retirement of those assets," he said.
For example, Saghei said many of the panels that fail only have a small problem. Often it can be easily fixed. Then, the repaired piece can be offered in new markets, often in other countries.
Saghei said the company's engineers learned how to recover valuable material from the old solar panels. They can remove silver, copper, glass, and silicone from the broken panels. All the materials have market value.
It took the engineers three years to perfect the materials recovery process, which Saghei called "urban mining."
The company can process up to 7,500 solar panels every day at its center in Yuma. Saghei said they can recover up to 99 percent of the useful material from each panel.
Meng Tao is a professor at Arizona State University and an expert on sustainable energy systems.
He said solar panel installations will reach their highest numbers in about 20 years. At that point, he said, the number of new panels being produced will equal the number of old panels going out of service. The cost to recycle the old panels, however, may be too high.
At that point, he said, it will be very easy for homeowners to decide to send their panels to a landfill. But the U.S. government, he said, should provide money for solar panel recycling projects as part of its environmental policies.
That way, making a better choice will be easier for homeowners.
Saghei said he hopes his company is getting into the business at the right time. Recovering the materials from old panels is costly work. He said it takes a lot of labor, time and energy.
But he thinks taking out the valuable materials and sending them back into the supply chain is a winning idea.
"These are markets that are growing," Saghei said. "What's exciting is we're at the forefront."
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