A new report revealed a significant problem with the expansion of renewable energy due to the amount of waste generated by solar panels and wind turbine blades.
The Biden Administration has insisted on promoting the use of solar panels as one of the solutions in the fight against climate change. However, a CBS News report indicates that most solar energy panels are not being recycled.
According to the report, by 2030, the waste from unused panels could cover an area equivalent to 3,000 soccer fields. This is because over 90% of solar units end up in the trash once their useful life is over. In addition, with rapid technological advances and constant government incentives, panels that typically last 25 to 30 years are replaced long before they wear out.
Companies have already tried to find a solution for what they call a "tsunami" of solar waste, but according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the simplest and most economical way to recycle is by reusing them. However, this does not seem very profitable because reused panels do not usually generate as much electricity as new ones.
A black eye for green energy? Renewable energy growth brings mounting waste challenge https://t.co/8ULnJSA7nU via @CBSMornings
— RFPEnergySolutions (@RFPESLLC) May 2, 2023
Millions of tons of waste from the wind industry
The CBS News report also exposes how difficult it is to recycle wind turbine blades because they are built "not to break." According to Julie Angulo, senior vice president of waste-to-energy company Veolia, many blades end up in landfills.
It is estimated that by 2050 the wind industry will produce around 47 million tons of blade waste annually and it is believed that it could end up buried in the ground.
