Scientists have devised an efficient method of recovering high-purity silicon from expired solar panels to produce lithium-ion batteries that could help meet the increasing global demand to power electric vehicles.
Researchers are reusing silicon from solar panels to create high-power lithium-ion batteries. According to Interesting Engineering, while solar panels have been an excellent way to move away from dirty energy sources and lower utility bills, when panels get to the end of their life span, they generate a lot of waste.
A team at the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT) has repurposed the silicon from solar panels into lithium-ion batteries. Their method is a low-cost way to recycle one of the components of panels when they are at the end of their life spans.
Therefore, the exploitation of solar energy in rechargeable batteries could not only achieve the large-scale application of solar energy, but also assist the conventional rechargeable batteries in saving the input electric energy. Fig. 1. The energy storage mechanisms of photovoltaic cells (a) and rechargeable batteries (b).
Scientists in Belgium are exploring the potential of recycled silicon in solar modules at the end of their life cycle for reuse in low-cost, higher-energy-density storage technologies. They claim EV batteries using this silicon may allow faster recharging and travel longer distances on a single charge.
They claim EV batteries using this silicon may allow faster recharging and travel longer distances on a single charge. A group of Belgian companies and research entities is currently trying to reuse silicon from end-of-life solar panels for the production of composite silicon carbon anode materials for lithium-ion batteries.