The amount of material in solar panels is tiny compared to our other landfill-destined refuse streams, and it needs to be compared to the analogous waste streams from other forms of energy generation. Nuclear creates long term storage needs. Coal creates tailings. Fracking pollutes groundwater.
The US installed about 32 GW of solar in 2023. (1)
A modern 395W bifacial solar module (2) weighs 25.7kg; about 65g per watt.
That's about two million metric tons of solar panels to handle every year. In contrast, the US produces about 73 million metric tons of plastic waste per year. We landfill a total of about 131 million metric tons per year (3) -- and that's ignoring that things like coal tailings aren't accounted for in landfilling amounts. We produce and burn about 534 million metric tons of coal per year.
The numbers are large but the relative cost of solar panels 50 years hence is likely extremely tolerable compared to the alternatives.
The US installed about 32 GW of solar in 2023. (1)
A modern 395W bifacial solar module (2) weighs 25.7kg; about 65g per watt.
That's about two million metric tons of solar panels to handle every year. In contrast, the US produces about 73 million metric tons of plastic waste per year. We landfill a total of about 131 million metric tons per year (3) -- and that's ignoring that things like coal tailings aren't accounted for in landfilling amounts. We produce and burn about 534 million metric tons of coal per year.
The numbers are large but the relative cost of solar panels 50 years hence is likely extremely tolerable compared to the alternatives.
(1) https://www.seia.org/news/solar-installations-2023-expected-...
(2) https://signaturesolar.com/hyundai-395w-bifacial-solar-panel...
(3) https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-...