Preparing for future e-waste from photovoltaic modules: a circular economy approach

David Hidalgo-Carvajal; Ruth Carrasco-Gallego

doi:10.4995/ijpme.2022.16712

Authors

David Hidalgo-Carvajal Universidad Politécnica de Madrid https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7771-0906
Ruth Carrasco-Gallego Universidad Politécnica de Madrid https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9542-3836

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4995/ijpme.2022.16712

Keywords:

recycling, WEEE management model, informal recyclers, photovoltaic panels

Abstract

The increasing adoption rate of photovoltaic power generation shows that renewable energies have a bright future. Yet, this could be overshadowed by the unintended consequence of increased generation of Waste of Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) at the installations’ End-of-Life (EoL) stage. As countries find themselves dealing with the increasing WEEE issue, they may adopt different practices which, if wrongly implemented, could potentially backfire, creating additional issues especially among vulnerable social groups. This work proposes improving the WEEE management system by including the Informal Recyclers in the equation, benefitting social groups and material recovery through by delivering materials along different streams in the closed-loop supply chain. The proposed model intends to support the circular economy approach on waste management systems.

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Author Biographies

David Hidalgo-Carvajal, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

Department of Organization Engineering, Business Administration and Statistics, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales (ETSII)

Ruth Carrasco-Gallego, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

Department of Organization Engineering, Business Administration and Statistics, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales (ETSII)

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