Paris-based Veolia has opened a plant designed to recycle old solar panels. The decision to open the plant follows the company landing a contract with the recycling organization PV Cycle France.
According to an online report on the Renewables Now website, the deal means Veolia will recycle 1,300 metric tons of solar panels in 2018, which will increase to 4,000 metric tons by 2022.
The facility is the first dedicated solar panel recycling plant in Europe and possibly in the world, the online report cites Gilles Carsuzaa, head of electronics recycling at Veolia, as stating.
Solar panels can differ in material composition, with older ones containing polysilicon and monocrystalline silicon. Newer cells can contain compounds with cadmium, copper, indium and gallium, according to the Technical University of Denmark.
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