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Photovoltaics Recycling and Sustainability

U.S. Department of EnergyEnergy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Vasilis FthenakisPV Environmental Research Center

Brookhaven National Laboratoryand

Center for Life Cycle AnalysisColumbia University

Recycling Scoping Workshop, IEEEPVSC, Philadelphia, June 11, 2009

email: vmf@bnl.govweb: www.pv.bnl.gov

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PV Sustainability CriteriaPV Sustainability Criteria

Photovoltaics are required to meet the need for abundant electricity generation at competitive costs, whilst conserving resources for future generations, and having environmental impacts lower than those of alternative future energy-options

Sustainability Metrics:CostResource AvailabilityEnvironmental Impact

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The Triangle of SuccessThe Triangle of Success

Low Cost

Lowest Environmental Impact

ResourceAvailability

4

U.S. Grand Solar Plan Projections-Annual Electricity Growth from Renewables -

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050

Ann

ual I

ncre

ase

in E

lect

ricity

Pro

duct

ion

(TW

h)

Wind-CAES Central Geothermal Distributed PV PV-CAES CSP

PV Grid Parity Cost

6-8 ¢/kWh

PV Grid Parity Cost

6-8 ¢/kWh

Fthenakis, Mason & Zweibel, Energy Policy 37 (2009)

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Semiconductor Metal ScarcitySemiconductor Metal Scarcity

Rare elements in thin-film PV

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Te and In Availability for PV: Primary Sources

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

2005 2025 2045 2065 2085

In(t/

yr)

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

2005 2025 2045 2065 2085

Te (t

/yr)

Conservative Scenario

Most likely scenario

Most likely scenario

Conservative Scenario

Accounts for competitive demandTellurium Availability (t/yr)

Indium Availability (t/yr)

Conservative Scenario

Most likely scenarioMost likely scenario

Conservative Scenario

+ Materials from Recycling of Spent PV Modules

Fthenakis, Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, in press

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Resource related Constraints alleviated with Recycling & Technological AdvancesResource related Constraints alleviated with Recycling & Technological Advances

Material-related sustainability will be

primary production, reducing the thicknessof the semiconductor layers, and efficient recycling of spent modules.

Material-related sustainability will be improved with enhanced recovery during primary production, reducing the thicknessof the semiconductor layers, and efficient recycling of spent modules.

Especially needed is R&D on developing thinner layers.

Especially needed is R&D on developing thinner layers.improved with enhanced recovery during

0

50

100

150

200

250

2000 2020 2040 2060 2080 2100

CdTe PV (GW/yr)

Most likely

Optimistic

Conservative0

50

100

150

200

2000 2020 2040 2060 2080 2100

CIGS PV (GW/yr)

Most likely

Optimistic

Conservative

Fthenakis, Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, in press

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Environmental ConsiderationsEnvironmental ConsiderationsEnvironmental footprints of energy technologiesshould be quantified in a life cycle framework

Land UseEnergy UseGreen House GasesEH&S RisksEnd-of-life DisposalRecycling

Zero impact technology does not exist compare with other energy producing technologies as benchmarks

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Land Use

Sinzheim, Germany, with permission from Juwi, 2006

1.4MW

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More Land is used by the Coal Life Cycle than PV

Land requirement for surface coal mining: 320 m2/GWhLand requirement for PV in the SW: 310 m2/GWh

Mountain Top Coal MiningRawl, West Virginia

Fthenakis V. and Kim H.C., Sustainable and Renewable Energy Reviews, 2009

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Energy Use Payback Times (EPBT)Energy Use Payback Times (EPBT)

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

Ribbon-Si11.5%

Multi-Si13.2%

Mono-Si14.0%

CdTe 9%

EPB

T(Y

ears

)

BOSFrameFramelessModule

2.2

2.7

1.1

1.7

Insolation: 1700 kwh/m2-yr

Based on data from 13 US and European PV manufacturers

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Breakdown of Primary Energy Demand in Multi‐Si PV Module Production

Fluidized Bed ReactorSolar Grade Si production

JSSI, Rheinfelden, GRREC, Moses Lake, WAREC, Ontario, CA

Recycle SiC and polyethylene glycol

Reduce wafer thickness

Options to Reduce Energy Demand

Data source: Alsema, deWild‐Scholten, 2006

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GHG Emissions from Life Cycle Energy of Electricity ProductionGHG Emissions from Life Cycle Energy of Electricity Production

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

Coal (Kim andDale 2005)

Natural Gas(Kim and Dale

2005)

Petroleum(Kim and Dale

2005)

Nuclear(Baseline -

Fthenakis andKim, 2007

PV, CdTe(Fthenakiset al, 2008)

PV, mc-Si,(Fthenakis et al, 2008)

GH

G (g

CO

2-eq

./kW

h)

MaterialsOperationTransportationFuel Production

24 24 32

California Energy Commission, Nuclear Issues Workshop, June 2007Fthenakis et al., Environmental Science & Technology, 2008

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EH&S RisksEH&S RisksIt is of the outmost importance for the PV industry to minimize EH&S risks, preserving safe and environmentally friendly facilities and operations.

Addressing EH&S concerns is the focus of numerous studies at BNL (>200 publications, tutorials, workshops, presentations, site visits).

The US PV industry exercises continues vigilance to minimize the risks of hazardous substances.

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Recycling of Spent ModulesRecycling of Spent Modules

Provides a source of materials Resolves environmental issues related to end-of-life

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Filtration Facility

Clean Glass

PV Module Fragments

Cd Electrowinning

Cell

Cu Recovery

Column ICu

Column IICu

Column ICd, Fe

Column IICd, Fe

Leach Device

Leachate Solution(Te, Cd, Cu, Fe)

(In, Ga, Se)

CdSO4

Removal of Cu from Liquid Using Resin A

Spen

t H2S

O4

Solu

tion

Glass Slurry

H2SO4H2O2

Cd Metal

Recycling of Spent Electrolyte

Selective Precipitation

Removal of Cd and Fe from Liquid Using Resin B

Elution of ColumnA

Elution of ColumnB

Tellurium

Recycling R&D at BNL: CdTe and CIGS PV Modules

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CdTe PV Module Recycling: Cd-Te SeparationsCdTe PV Module Recycling: Cd-Te Separations

0100200300400500600700800900

1000110012001300

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22Bed Volume

Te, C

d, a

nd C

u (p

pm)

Te , ppm

Cd, ppm

Cu, ppm

Te, influent

Cd, influent

Cu, influent

0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

0.80

1.00

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22

Cd

(ppm

) Cd effluent concentration <0.3 ppm

Cd separation 99.99%

•Cd, Te extraction & separation was completed at a projected cost of 1 ¢/Wp

•On going work on purity of recovered metals

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Recycling Se and In from End-of-Life CIGS PV Modules

Column I Column II Column I Column II

H2SO4 Tank

Leach Device

Filter Facility

Clean Glass

PV Waste

PregnantSolution

Solution Tank(In, Se)

AdsorptionTowers

(In Retained)

Effluent Tank(Se)

In2(SO4)3

ElectrolyticCell

Indium MetalSelenium Recovery

Recycling of Spent Electrolyte

Stage ISeparation of In from Se

through Cation Exchange Resin

Se Solution

In Solution

H2SO4Solution

Stage IIElution of In

In Eluted

Slurry

H2SO4

H2O2

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CIGS Recycling: Separation of Se, In, Cu, Cd & ZnCIGS Recycling: Separation of Se, In, Cu, Cd & Zn

0

400

800

1200

1600

2000

2400

2800

3200

3600

4000

4400

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20Bed Volume

Efflu

ent c

once

ntra

tion,

ppm Se, ppm In, ppm

Cu, ppm Zn, ppm

Zn, influent

Se, influent

In, influent

Cu, influent

Zn

Se

0

9

18

27

36

45

54

63

72

81

90

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

Throughput (BV)

Efflu

ent c

once

ntra

tion,

ppm

Se In Zn Cu Cd

Zn, influent

In, influentCu, influent

Seeking CIGS Industrial Partner for Collaborative Research on recovering high-purity Indium

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The PV CYCLE Voluntary InitiativeCurrent Members:• Aleo• Ava Solar• Avancis• Arendi• BP Solar• Conergy • Ersol• First Solar• GE Solar• Isofoton • Johanna Solar• Kyocera• Q-Cells• Photowatt• REC• Sanyo • Schott Solar• Schueco

• Scheuten Solar• Sharp• Siliken• Solarfabrik• Solarworld • Solon• Solpower • Solyndra• Sulfurcell• Sunpower• Sunways• Würth Solar• EPIA

Associated (partial list):• BSW• ECN• 5N PV

Suntech joins PV module recycling group (May 7, 2009)Yingli, China, to join PV CYCLE (May 11, 2009) -43 members so far-

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Global ResponsibilityGlobal Responsibility

Solar Energy Firms Leave Waste Behind in China - March 9, 2008SiCl4 dumping in the fields,Henan Province, China

"It's poison air. Sometimes it gets so bad you can't sit outside. You have to close all the doors and windows,“

Qiao Shi Peng, Age 28

"It's poison air. Sometimes it gets so bad you can't sit outside. You have to close all the doors and windows,“

Qiao Shi Peng, Age 28

- Photo By Zhang Quanfeng

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The Triangle of SuccessThe Triangle of Success

Low Cost

Recycling

Lowest Environmental Impact

ResourceAvailability

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Synergy Effect Synergy Effect

MarketCustomer Environmental Concerns

GtRegulat

ntives

Business

Customer Environmental

Concerns

Recycling

overnmenions, Ince

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ConclusionsConclusions

Major Sustainability metrics include cost, resource availability, and environmental impacts

These three aspects are closely related; recycling spent moduleswill become increasingly important in resolving cost, resource, and environmental constraints to large scales of sustainable growth

email: vmf@bnl.govwww.pv.bnl.govwww.clca.columbia.edu