Solar panels

Solar panels last about 20 to 25 years and many are ending up in land fills. There’s a cost problem in the US because it’s more expensive to recycle than it is to dump. It costs less than $1 to dump a panel in a landfill and between $12-25 to recycle it, but only $3 is paid out for recovered aluminum, copper, and glass. They don't even attempt to extract the rare earth metals that just get buried to later get into the ground water. Here is a headline from a leading environmental group. Rare earth metals pose challenge in clean energy transition.arth Minerals Pose Challenge in Clean Studies have shown the heavy metals in solar panels — namely lead and cadmium — can leach out of the cells and get into groundwater, as well as affect plants. These metals also have a record for detrimental effects on human health. Lead is commonly known to impair brain development in children, and cadmium is a carcinogen. Since there are regulations governing land fills in the US the newest targets are landfills in Africa. Ho Hum.