Is the Environment at Risk with the Use of Solar or Energy Storage?
No. Companies have resorted to using environmentally sustainable and cost-effective mediums for renewable resources and energy storage through time. While all kinds of energy can impact the environment, solar has the lowest impact. It does not cause water or air pollution.
Sonor Sun Energy is committed to protecting wildlife and their natural habitat. We ensure that before implementing projects, we conduct research about the sites to be certain that no wildlife would be harmed and that these projects comply with all local and federal environmental regulations.
How are Solar Panels Constructed?
Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels are usually made from semiconductor materials, copper, aluminum, polymer, and glass. All these materials can be reused and recycled at the end of their life. Solar cells are placed between two plastic layers, plus a sheet of industrial laminate or polymer and a layer of tempered glass to protect them from moisture and air. This will ensure safe and corrosion-free operations that will last for decades.
Most of the solar panels used these days are made from crystalline silicon, which doesn’t cause toxicity or risk to safety and public health. The remaining solar panels are made from thin films that contain semiconductor elements and a compound called cadmium telluride. The little amount of the latter found in the materials does not cause any risks to safety or health.
What Batteries are Used for Energy Storage?
Sonor Sun Energy uses the same battery employed in most energy storage facilities – lithium-ion. These batteries have gone through years of studies and experiments and have proven cost-effective, safe, and efficient in electric vehicle manufacturing and utility-scale energy storage businesses.
Recycling Batteries and Solar Panels
Many companies in recent times have resorted to recycling modern solar panels instead of throwing them out. However, throwing these panels in landfills won’t cause any harm. The past decade has seen the development of PV solar panel recycling mediums. They have recovered more than 90 percent of glass and 95 percent of semiconductor materials from the panels. The focus now is to find cheaper ways to recycle efficiently.
A US company, First Solar, initiated a significant solar recycling program, which has been running since 2005. It offers its services commercially and is also a major supplier of thin-film panels. Many solar developers and manufacturers follow such lead as they continue studying and researching ways to recycle or reuse raw materials and eventually reduce their use.
In addition, research and development also continue when it comes to energy storage. These efforts aim to create advanced technologies to recycle and make them applicable to batteries made up of lithium-ion.