Bell Labs & PV CycleThe last few years have seen growing concern over what happens to solar panels at the end of their life. “I’ve been working in solar since 1976 and that’s part of my guilt,” the veteran solar developer told Solar Power World last year. Solar panels often contain lead, cadmium, and other toxic chemicals that cannot be removed without breaking apart the entire panel. For this reason, the whole solar panel is considered hazardous by many experts and governments, including the state of California, which is trying to prevent the flow of old solar panels to landfills. A tornado in 2015 broke 200,000 solar modules at southern California solar farm Desert Sunlight.

Source: Forbes May 23, 2018 16:18 UTC