10 thoughts on “Saving the planet with solar panels?”
So overall the panels will be negative in the terms of energy used to produce them vs what they produce over say a 10 year life?
7
Try producing solar panels with wind turbines or burning trees maybe nuclear power is the answer . What about disposing them after a short life span compared to coal power?
‘
6
I only had a quick scan, do they mention the energy to recycle (snork, guffaw) them as well.
My son has changed employers, his new employer, another insurance company, also has warehouses full of hail damaged panels from the Christmas hail storms in Brisbane and Sunshine Coast a few years ago.
5
I mentioned this to my local 25 year old, who responded with “That can’t be right, they wouldn’t do that. You must have it wrong”
Quite a bit of brainwashing to overcome I’m afraid
These are articles never exist in the popular mainstream, influencers don’t mention them .. therefore, they don’t exist.
3
Thanks Rafe. I’m sending that to my local Qld State member who I saw last Monday, talking about much the same thing.
BTW he’s shadow qld state treasurer. Share of qld state revenues from coal royalties – 25%. We aren’t about to stop exporting it. I also pointed out qld exports at least 10 times the coal it burns for own use.
1
Diogenes says:
February 11, 2023 at 7:35 am
Yes, this is a gigantic issue on the horizon that gets very little coverage.
According to the Macquarie University, Australia is estimated to accumulate one million tonnes of solar panel waste by 2047, with this number likely to increase as more people prematurely upgrade their systems.
As each panel weighs around 18kg, that’s 55 million panels! The panel/battery recycling industry is immature at present and as it is, recyclers charge $10-20 per panel to just take them off your hands.
Then of course there are lithium-ion batteries: The CSIRO predicts that Australia will have 100,000 tonnes of lithium-ion battery waste by 2036.
Uh huh, and just wait until all those EVs start needing new batteries in 10-20-30+ years time. 100,000 tonnes? piffle. By the 2050s, battery and panel waste management and recycling will be a huge industry.
1
The NSW state forests had an investor who proposed a ultra refined charcoal pellet manufacturing plant at Bateman’s Bay some decades ago.
Of course, the local Greens; (refugees from the people’s democratic local council of Canberra) campaigned against it, as it would use the forest residues from the local sawmilling industry. So the corrupt trade union government killed it off, and the investors gave up.
A plant did set up in WA, but can’t use the local sawmilling residues any more, as the WA trade union government is shutting down the forest industry there too. So it uses the timber from the forest clear felling by the bauxite mines.
All in order to fight the tree-food menace.
3
I suspect human behaviour will soon exert itself.
Each solar panel contains about an ounce of silver. So the usual suspects are going to extract that silver, peeling it off carefully, then will leave the rest for someone else to deal with.
And batteries. The lithium price is now half the silver price. So the same people are likely to acquire dead batteries and sell them on. Made more difficult since no one quite knows how to efficiently recycle a lithium battery. But the on-sellers won’t care.
1
Forester, you are correct and another similar facility was planned for Lithgow with the same outcome.
Not to worry, though. A few people are making an awful lot of money so they can have a private jet for each day of the week.
Got to keep fighting for the planet, you know…
So overall the panels will be negative in the terms of energy used to produce them vs what they produce over say a 10 year life?
Try producing solar panels with wind turbines or burning trees maybe nuclear power is the answer . What about disposing them after a short life span compared to coal power?
‘
I only had a quick scan, do they mention the energy to recycle (snork, guffaw) them as well.
My son has changed employers, his new employer, another insurance company, also has warehouses full of hail damaged panels from the Christmas hail storms in Brisbane and Sunshine Coast a few years ago.
I mentioned this to my local 25 year old, who responded with “That can’t be right, they wouldn’t do that. You must have it wrong”
Quite a bit of brainwashing to overcome I’m afraid
These are articles never exist in the popular mainstream, influencers don’t mention them .. therefore, they don’t exist.
Thanks Rafe. I’m sending that to my local Qld State member who I saw last Monday, talking about much the same thing.
BTW he’s shadow qld state treasurer. Share of qld state revenues from coal royalties – 25%. We aren’t about to stop exporting it. I also pointed out qld exports at least 10 times the coal it burns for own use.
Diogenes says:
February 11, 2023 at 7:35 am
Yes, this is a gigantic issue on the horizon that gets very little coverage.
According to the Macquarie University, Australia is estimated to accumulate one million tonnes of solar panel waste by 2047, with this number likely to increase as more people prematurely upgrade their systems.
As each panel weighs around 18kg, that’s 55 million panels! The panel/battery recycling industry is immature at present and as it is, recyclers charge $10-20 per panel to just take them off your hands.
Then of course there are lithium-ion batteries: The CSIRO predicts that Australia will have 100,000 tonnes of lithium-ion battery waste by 2036.
Uh huh, and just wait until all those EVs start needing new batteries in 10-20-30+ years time. 100,000 tonnes? piffle. By the 2050s, battery and panel waste management and recycling will be a huge industry.
The NSW state forests had an investor who proposed a ultra refined charcoal pellet manufacturing plant at Bateman’s Bay some decades ago.
Of course, the local Greens; (refugees from the people’s democratic local council of Canberra) campaigned against it, as it would use the forest residues from the local sawmilling industry. So the corrupt trade union government killed it off, and the investors gave up.
A plant did set up in WA, but can’t use the local sawmilling residues any more, as the WA trade union government is shutting down the forest industry there too. So it uses the timber from the forest clear felling by the bauxite mines.
All in order to fight the tree-food menace.
I suspect human behaviour will soon exert itself.
Each solar panel contains about an ounce of silver. So the usual suspects are going to extract that silver, peeling it off carefully, then will leave the rest for someone else to deal with.
And batteries. The lithium price is now half the silver price. So the same people are likely to acquire dead batteries and sell them on. Made more difficult since no one quite knows how to efficiently recycle a lithium battery. But the on-sellers won’t care.
Forester, you are correct and another similar facility was planned for Lithgow with the same outcome.
Not to worry, though. A few people are making an awful lot of money so they can have a private jet for each day of the week.
Got to keep fighting for the planet, you know…