Is PV Hazardous Waste? [RE-wrenches]

[graham at solarexpert.com]

Dear Joel, Bill, Jay, Roy, Michael and Wrenches,

I have to start by saying that the Wrenches Forum is the most useful and 
valuable resource with respect to solar energy on the Internet.  Thank 
you.

I feel much better informed about the potential hazardous nature of 
different types of PV products.  The cost-benefit of PV seems to have 
different outcomes for differing agendas.
I had and still do consider this potential client to be a legitimate 
source of work, especially since the mounts are already on the roof.  I 
believe in a hot climate such as southern California it is best to have 
an air-space beneath solar cells to allow for cooling and higher 
efficiencies. What really bothered me the most was the seemingly 
well-coached response from one of the organizations directors.  The word 
“kickback’ came to mind. Or maybe he’s just a brick short of a full load 
or perhaps a loose connection in the array or maybe he’s just 
un-grounded.

Now that I feel reassured that disposing of PV is not listed or 
classified as hazardous waste I was able to respond with confidence.  My 
response was:

Stiff box type solar panels do not present a future source of 
contamination for our land fills.  In fact the frames are recyclable 
aluminum, the glazings are recyclable glass, and the semiconductor cells 
are made from molten sand.  These types of solar collection devices are 
effective, durable and are the workhorse of the solar industry.  I am 
always excited when new products and technologies are presented to the 
solar industry, but they have to stand on their own merits as opposed to 
belittling the competition.  The flexible panels you mentioned may work 
well for many application globally including new home construction, but 
here in hot sunny California they may prove less efficient and the 
longevity of the plastic-over-cells as opposed to glass-over-cells has 
not been established.

Thanks wrenches, hopefully the response above sets them straight.

Maybe I am wrong, but I had always assumed that a large percentage of 
people in the solar community were more environmental conscious than the 
average person.  There will always be extremists in every group but I 
believe the majority is usually ruled by wisdom rather than greed or 
ignorance.

I care about our environment, I don’t litter, I recycle and I want as 
clean of a planet as possible for future generations.  Environmentally 
conscious homeowners are typically the most likely to install PV in the 
city.  Solar makes them feel good for a number of reasons and I focus on 
having these types of customers.  The payback for these customers is 
immediate.

Graham

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