Waste generation and management due to solar power
The increasing awareness about climate change and the push by the public and governments to shift from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy. One source that has gained much attention in recent times is solar power. Unlike fossil fuels, power generation using solar panels does not generate greenhouse gases or any other pollutant during the generation itself, but it does not mean it is a completely clean source of power. First, solar panels have to be manufactured, and manufacturing by nature is a polluting process. More recently, there has been another concern, namely the disposal of solar panels once their life is over. By weight, a solar panel majorly consists of glass and its aluminum frame. It is possible to recycle these two and silicon (the highest percentage by value) by itself does not have much environmental impact. However, there are many other materials like antimony, cadmium, lead, polymers and other heavy metals[1] that if not taken care could leach ...