Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAICS

Peer behaviour boosts recycling

Nature Energy volume 6, pages 862–863 (2021)Cite this article

Subjects

The challenge of how to handle large volumes of silicon photovoltaic (PV) panels at the end of their 30-year lifetime is emerging. Now, a new study reveals that the efficacy of recycling and reuse interventions is underestimated if social factors such as the attitude of PV owners and the influence of peers are not considered.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Stored PV panels.

Nicolas Defrenne.

References

  1. ITRPV. International Technology Roadmap for Photovoltaic 2021 (ITRPV, 2021).

  2. Walzberg, J., Carpenter, A. & Heath, G. A. Nat. Energy https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-021-00888-5 (2021).

  3. Weckend, S., Wade, A. & Heath, G. End-of-Life Management: Solar Photovoltaic Panels (IRENA & IEA-PVPS, 2016); https://www.irena.org/publications/2016/Jun/End-of-life-management-Solar-Photovoltaic-Panels

  4. Wolske, K. S., Gillingham, K. T. & Schultz, P. W. Nat. Energy 5, 202–212 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Tao, M. et al. Prog. Photovoltaics Res. Appl. 28, 1077–1088 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Tsanakas, J. A. et al. Prog. Photovoltaics Res. Appl. 28, 1–11 (2019).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Tesar, M. et al. Study on Quality Standards for the Treatment of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (European Commission, 2021).

  8. Heath, G. A. et al. Nat. Energy 5, 502–510 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    Rong Deng, Nathan Chang & Martin Green

Authors
  1. Rong Deng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Nathan Chang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Martin Green
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rong Deng.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Deng, R., Chang, N. & Green, M. Peer behaviour boosts recycling. Nat Energy 6, 862–863 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-021-00905-7

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-021-00905-7

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing