Enabling a responsible second-hand market for photovoltaic systems in Australia

摘要: 1.1. BackgroundEnd-of-life (EOL) photovoltaic (PV) systems are an emerging electronic waste problem globally and will present environmental problems and a lost opportunity for resource recovery if not properly managed at EOL. 1 A typical PV system comprises PV panels, inverters, racking/mounting system and may include a battery, also known as an energy storage system (ESS). Besides the embedded hazardous materials, PV panels are manufactured using diverse rare and critical metals2–making it necessary to prolong the lifetime of this product and recover these metals at EOL. In Australia, waste PV systems will reach a critical level by 2030 and this is mainly driven by small-scale PV systems reaching EOL (Figure 1).