Longer solar module lifetimes could cut raw material demand – NREL

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
NREL said long-life modules provide a longer grace period in which to develop end-of-life recycling or remanufacturing processes. Image: Green Clean Solar.

Longer PV module lifetimes could lower new material demand by reducing the need for additional solar deployment in the US, according to new research from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Alongside cutting demand for raw materials, long-life modules also provide a longer grace period in which to develop and implement end-of-life recycling or remanufacturing processes, the study revealed.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

“When considering a sustainable PV supply chain, there is a tendency to jump straight to recycling as the solution, when there are a lot of other circular economy levers to try first, like lifetime extension,” said Heather Mirletz, the article’s lead author.

Among the 336 scenarios the authors considered, two scenarios represent the upper and lower bounds of possible approaches to a circular economy of PV modules – modules with an extended 50-year lifetime and shorter-lived, 15-year modules with a high rate of closed-loop recycling. These were compared to a baseline scenario that assumed a 35-year module lifetime and a low recycling rate that is reflective of current technology and processes.

The research found that because the short-lived modules require an additional 1.2TW of replacement modules to maintain PV generation capacity until 2050, they must reach closed-loop recycling rates of 95% or higher to avoid requiring larger quantities of new materials than the 35-year baseline scenario.

Titled ‘Circular Economy Priorities for Photovoltaics in the Energy Transition’ and published in the PLOS ONE journal, the study considered only the flow of materials for crystalline silicon modules, but it can be applied to other PV technologies.

“We can avoid excess replacements and additional manufacturing by building systems right the first time. Recycling short-lived modules sounds attractive, but our mass balance and capacity calculations show it might limit PV capacity,” said Teresa Barnes, an author of the article and manager of NREL’s PV reliability and system performance group.

A national laboratory of the US Department of Energy, NREL research published in 2020 suggested that more needs to be done to reduce the recycling costs and environmental impact of used solar panels.

PV Tech explored the status quo in PV’s circular economy, including how the industry is ramping up efforts to boost recycling, in a feature written by Emilie Oxel O’Leary, CEO of Green Clean Solar, a US company specialising in waste management and landfill diversion for solar sites.

17 June 2025
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 17-18 June 2025, will be our fourth PV ModulelTech conference dedicated to the U.S. utility scale solar sector. The event will gather the key stakeholders from solar developers, solar asset owners and investors, PV manufacturing, policy-making and and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out the PV module supply channels to the U.S. out to 2026 and beyond.
7 October 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 7-8 October 2025 is our third PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector. The events in 2023 and 2024 were a sell out success and 2025 will once again gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing in the U.S. out to 2030 and beyond.

Read Next

February 18, 2025
Sunnova said the job cuts are part of “an optimisation of its business" and the cuts will save around US$35 million.
February 18, 2025
Chinese solar manufacturer LONGi has filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas against Jinko Solar.
February 17, 2025
Round-up of community solar news with new legislations progressing in the US states of Missouri and Iowa, while New Mexico started construction on the first project in the state.
February 17, 2025
Lee Zeldin said the EPA should "reassume responsibility" for funds issued under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.
February 14, 2025
Environmental Law & Policy Center argued that PJM’s scoring system would favour specific resource classes, such as combined cycle gas.
February 14, 2025
Muswellbrook Shire Council in New South Wales, Australia, has backed a solar module recycling mandate for a 135MW solar PV plant being developed by Swedish solar developer OX2.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
February 19, 2025
Tokyo, Japan
Solar Media Events
March 11, 2025
Frankfurt, Germany
Solar Media Events
March 18, 2025
Sydney, Australia