US EditionWasting Away in Wind-and-Solarville
- The United States faces an increasing challenge with discarded materials from decommissioned solar panels and wind turbines, as hundreds of millions of panels and tens of thousands of turbines currently in operation approach the end of their lifespans.
- This problem stems from a lack of effective recycling plans and insufficient regulation, despite laws like Washington's 2017 solar recycling mandate set to take effect in July 2025.
- Solar panels are complex, assembled with plastic, glue, and metal wiring, containing slight amounts of hazardous and valuable materials, while turbines present end-of-life challenges with large concrete bases and non-reusable blades.
- Experts state solar waste will grow exponentially, with estimates of up to 2 million metric tons annually by 2043 in the U.S., yet 90% of this waste currently goes to landfills, and recycling remains costly and unprofitable.
- The ongoing waste issue may hinder clean energy transitions, leaving taxpayers to cover disposal costs, while advocates emphasize carbon reductions outweigh disposal harms and call for better policies and circular economy development.
12 Articles
12 Articles
BEST OF THE WEB: Wasting Away in Wind-and-Solarville
While green advocates commonly use the terms renewable, sustainable, and net zero to describe their efforts, the dirty little secret is that much of the waste from solar panels and wind turbines is ending up in landfills. The current amounts of fiberglass, resins, aluminum and other chemicals - not to mention propeller blades from giant wind turbines - pose no threat current to local town dumps, but this largely ignored problem will become more …
Wasting away in Wind-and-Solarville
While green advocates commonly use the terms renewable, sustainable, and net zero to describe their efforts, the dirty little secret is that much of the waste from solar panels and wind turbines is ending up in landfills. The current amounts of fiberglass, resins, aluminum and other chemicals – not to mention propeller blades from giant wind turbines – pose no threat current to local town dumps, but this largely ignored problem will become more …
Wasting away in wind-and-solarville | The Highland County Press
“Solar waste will grow exponentially in the next 20 years,” Tao said. “Globally, we produced 20-25 million tons of solar panels in 2023. They will come offline in roughly 20 years. That is 20-25 million tons of solar waste a year in 2045.”
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