The International Renewable Energy Agency is predicting a surge in the use of solar panels over the next 10 to 15 years. And by 2050, it estimates, there will be as much as 78 million tons of photovoltaic (PV) panel waste globally. If so, enough raw materials would be available for recovery to produce 2 billion new solar panels. On the plus side, Belgium-based PV Cycle - the world's first waste management programme for all types of PV technologies - posted a new record in silicon-based PV module recycling last year, achieving no less than a 96% recycling rate.
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