The solar business has been developing rapidly since the creation of the solar cell for photovoltaic panels in 1939. The development of any niche is about being aware of the problems it solves, the methods it uses, and the effects and consequences of the trials, errors, improvements, and innovations it uses in its growth.
The boom in the construction of photovoltaic parks in recent years in Bulgaria has created serious opportunities for investments to keep up with the increasingly demanding measures for transit to the so-called “green energy”. However, when these investments are built on fertile lands and rich pastures, the agricultural activity of farmers is limited. A new law on agro-voltaic installations is needed to prevent abuses and corruption schemes, to regulate and limit the construction of photovoltaic installations on lands that are important for agriculture and food production, while protecting the interests of farmers and small municipalities.
The average lifespan of photovoltaic panels is between 25 and 30 years. However, over time, they lose their effectiveness and need to be discarded and replaced. By 2050, there could be up to 78 million tons of solar panel waste globally, according to projections. One of the main challenges associated with disposing of old solar panels is that they contain toxic materials and metals such as silver, lead, arsenic, cadmium and others. The manufacturing process also creates other harmful substances such as nitrous oxide and perfluorocarbons (PFCs) which contribute to global warming. In a number of developed countries, work is already underway to build factories for recycling old photovoltaic panels. However, in many countries, including Bulgaria, there are still no developed projects for recycling photovoltaic panels. This raises concerns about how we will deal with the large volume of waste that will be created in a few decades and its effect on nature and people.
Solar growth sideways?
