Urban Mining Could Replace Old Solar Panels as World Transitions to Renewable Energy

Renewable energy, including harnessing heat and light from our Sun, is one of the ways to implement clean energy. As long been proposed by scientists and environmental activists, the need to find green energy is necessary more than ever, especially after a century of greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel burning.

These human activities are detrimental to Earth's climate and environment, paving the way to modern, anthropogenic climate change that we have experienced over the past several decades. Now, an emerging process called "urban mining" is gaining ground, especially after a US company reported that the said process could replace old solar panels.

The groundbreaking announcement comes as the world transitions to renewable energy from fossil fuels following the 2023 Climate Change Conference (COP28). Although solar technology is known as a tool for renewable energy by converting sunlight into electrical energy, more solar panels are going out of service, according to reports.

What is Urban Mining?

Urban mining has proven economic, environmental, and humanitarian benefits, as the process refers to the recovery and recycling of raw materials, mostly metals and minerals, from electronic waste (e-waste) found in cities, according to the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS).

The process may seem to be another industrial method that collects scrap and debris. However, it is closer to renewable energy that one might think, since the recycling of e-waste such as old solar panels means it will lessen our need to extract non-renewable resources from nature, including fossil fuels.

However, the CSIS mentions that one of the main challenges surrounding urban mining is the lack of advanced technology and technical knowledge, particularly among developing countries.

In a 2020 study published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, researchers found the challenges faced by Sri Lanka when it comes to e-waste recycling under the process of sustainable urban mining. Particularly, the study found that the South Asian nation lacks the advanced processing facilities to conduct e-waste disassembly.

Replacing Old Solar Panels

A startup company, We Recycle Solar, based in Arizona reported a 99% recovery rate with old solar panels by conducting urban mining on old and out-of-service solar panels. The company works directly with businesses, supporting them in disposing of solar waste and generating profit in the process.

The B2B solar panel recycling services company has so far recycled 495 tons of processed aluminum, 10,400 tons of processed glass, and 147 tons of processed copper. It has also voided emissions of 651,130 carbon dioxide, which is a primary greenhouse gas along with methane.

As the long-proposed transition to renewable energy has made progress in recent years, the concept of urban mining challenges businesses to recycle their material waste, which has relevance in the economy and cities of the future.

Yet, the transition is not expected to be abrupt, since it will take time for industries to gradually adjust away from fossil fuels amid the climate crisis.