Renewable energies
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16 Jun 2025
Are solar panels toxic?
Advances in photovoltaic technology have made it possible to use non-toxic materials that can be safely managed at the end of their life cycle. In this article, we explore the components of solar panels, their environmental management, and the regulations governing their manufacturing and recycling.
Are solar panels toxic?
No, solar panels are not toxic. In fact, they pose no risk to human health or the environment. But why?
Concerns over the potential toxicity of photovoltaic modules have emerged in the context of the global expansion of solar energy. According to the Global Market Outlook for Solar Power 2025–2029 by SolarPower Europe, 597 gigawatts of new solar capacity were installed worldwide in 2024—a 33% increase over 2023.
This explosive growth in solar power reflects the global momentum behind renewable energy. Still, it has also raised questions about the materials used in photovoltaic cells, particularly regarding their potential toxicity.
Advances in photovoltaic technology have made it possible to use non-toxic materials that can be safely managed at the end of their life cycle.
Modern solar panels generate significantly less waste than traditional fossil fuel-based electricity sources.
As Teresa Barnes, researcher at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Director of the DuraMAT Consortium in the United States, explains, ‘Most toxic elements are no longer present in modern solar panels. In fact, they generate significantly less waste than traditional fossil fuel-based electricity sources. When panels reach the end of their life cycle, we can seamlessly manage them.’
Current regulations provide the framework for managing used materials upon the end of their useful life.
Torrepalma solar plant (Seville).
What are solar panels made of?
According to NREL data, 97% of the global solar market uses crystalline silicon modules. This means that these modules are composed of non-toxic materials such as glass (77% of the panel’s total weight), aluminium, silicon, and polymers.
Only about 3% of the market consists of cadmium telluride (CdTe) modules, in which cadmium and tellurium together account for less than 0.1% of the module's weight.
What regulations apply to solar panel materials?
The WEEE Directive (2012/19/EU) governs how photovoltaic modules must be treated as waste electrical and electronic equipment. Under this regulation, manufacturers, distributors, and importers are required to organise and finance the collection, transport, storage, and recycling of panels.
When solar panels reach this stage, they are sent to authorised locations where materials such as glass, aluminium, silicon, and electrical components are separated and either reused or repurposed.
The directive also sets minimum collection and recycling targets, supporting a circular economy model.
Foreseeing potential regulatory changes and with strong environmental commitments, many manufacturers are phasing out the use of lead in panel designs. Even when present, lead accounts for less than 0.1% of a panel's total weight and poses no environmental risk when panels are properly recycled.
What happens when a solar panel reaches the end of its life?
Solar panels typically last 25 to 30 years. At the end of their life cycle, they do not become hazardous waste, as long as they are managed in accordance with existing regulations.
Up to 95% of a solar panel can be recycled, greatly reducing the need to extract new raw materials.
Up to 95% of a solar panel can be recycled.
While manufacturing a panel requires energy, each panel recovers that energy in less than three years—a metric known as Energy Payback Time (EPBT). Depending on the panel type and installation location, this period ranges between 1 and 3 years, after which the panel generates only clean energy.
What is the relationship between solar panels and biodiversity?
Innovative approaches like agrivoltaics prove that the energy transition can go hand-in-hand with environmental preservation.
Agrivoltaics combines solar energy generation with agricultural use of the land, allowing available resources to be used without sacrificing productive soil.
Elevated panel structures let sunlight reach crops while providing shade that reduces water evaporation and supports local species.
This setup can also support activities like grazing, helping maintain the land.
Agrivoltaics combines solar energy generation with agricultural use of the land.
Recent studies show that solar farms can host up to three times more bird species than traditional crop fields. This suggests that solar facilities can play a key role not only in clean energy generation but also in biodiversity conservation.
Parque fotovoltaico de Valdecaballeros (Extremadura).
Otro valor añadido de esta fórmula es su impacto positivo en el entorno social. La gestión compartida del espacio con actores locales permite reforzar lazos con las comunidades rurales, dinamizar la economía del entorno y conservar prácticas agrícolas tradicionales en convivencia con la innovación energética.
Los paneles solares no son tóxicos durante su uso ni representan una amenaza si se gestionan bien tras su vida útil.
Gracias a una combinación de materiales seguros, normativas estrictas y avances en reciclaje, la energía solar se posiciona como una de las fuentes más limpias y sostenibles.
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