The renewable world is churning out immense quantities of solar panels. Sooner or later these are bound to be up for recycling. Some may have suffered storm damage. New technology will eventually replace the rest. If renewable energy is truly green, then we will have to find a second use for the materials. Researchers in Australia developed a way of using discarded solar panels as battery anodes.
An Exciting New Way of Using Discarded Solar Panels
Material scientists at Deakin University’s Institute for Frontier Materials in Geelong, Australia have found an elegant solution. Thus far, the silicon in solar panels has been a challenge to recycle. But they have developed new technology for using discarded solar panels.
That’s because Mokhlesur Rahman and Ying Chen have found a way to nano-size recovered silicon. This could second-life as high-energy anodes for lithium-ion batteries. Moreover, this addresses several significant challenges currently facing batteries and energy storage. As Mokhlesur Rahman told Renew Economy we cannot afford to waste any of this “exceptionally high value commodity”.
Moreover, the Silicon Anodes Could Store Ten Times More Energy
The nano-grade silicon anodes would have far more capacity for lithium ions in transient intercalation storage. Therefore, their batteries should be able to store ten times more energy using discarded solar panels.
Although their work is still at the preliminary investigation stage, the Deakin University Team is confident practical applications will follow. “Silicon cells are the most important component of a solar panel, transferring the sun’s energy into electrons,” Ying Chen emphasizes. “They’re also a high-value material being a chemical element and far too precious to end up as waste. This is why our finding is significant.”
Mokhlesur Rahman adds “It’s the holy-grail of repurposing. Take a product that would otherwise be waste, recycle it, and in the process make it even more valuable at the other end.”
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Making Anodes from Silicon Scrap
Preview Image: Refined, Purified Silicon
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