Analysis of the Photovoltaic Waste-Recycling Process in Polish Conditions—A Short Review

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

This manuscript can be accepted for publication after major revisions, see the followings:

*The introduction should be improved (The literature review is weak).
*English should be improved.
*The Abstract should be improved.
*The References should be updated.

*The goal of this article is not clear. Please more explain it.
*There are some typing errors and inaccuracies in the manuscript. Please, check the paper again for any possible misprints.

*The quality of figures should be improved.

* The conclusion should be improved.
* Introduction part needs to be extended by some of the recently published papers to show the importance of Photovoltaic systems and all its aspects in high-quality journals. The following references should be included in this manuscript:

1. Adewole, B. Z., Malomo, B. O., Olatunji, O. P., & Ikobayo, A. O.  (2020). Simulation and Experimental Verification of Electrical Power Output of a Microcontroller Based Solar Tracking Photovoltaic Module. International Journal of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Research, 9(1): 34-45. DOI: 10.18488/journal.13.2020.91.34.45
2. Xu, Yi-Peng, Ping Ouyang, Si-Ming Xing, Lu-Yu Qi, and Hasan Jafari. "Optimal structure design of a PV/FC HRES using amended Water Strider Algorithm." Energy Reports 7 (2021): 2057-2067.
3. Ahmadi, M.H., Baghban, A., Sadeghzadeh, M., Zamen, M., Mosavi, A., Shamshirband, S., Kumar, R. and Mohammadi-Khanaposhtani, M., 2020. Evaluation of electrical efficiency of photovoltaic thermal solar collector. Engineering Applications of Computational Fluid Mechanics, 14(1), pp.545-565.

Author Response

Answer to Reviewer #1

Thank you very much for all your comments and time. Below we present the changes that were made to the manuscript and the responses to the remarks of the honorable Reviewer:

This manuscript can be accepted for publication after major revisions, see the followings:

*The introduction should be improved (The literature review is weak).

1. Ahmadi, M.H., Baghban, A., Sadeghzadeh, M., Zamen, M., Mosavi, A., Shamshirband, S., Kumar, R. and Mohammadi-Khanaposhtani, M., 2020. Evaluation of electrical efficiency of photovoltaic thermal solar collector. Engineering Applications of Computational Fluid Mechanics, 14(1), pp.545-565.
2. Xu, Yi-Peng, Ping Ouyang, Si-Ming Xing, Lu-Yu Qi, and Hasan Jafari. "Optimal structure design of a PV/FC HRES using amended Water Strider Algorithm." Energy Reports 7 (2021): 2057-2067.
3. Adewole, B. Z., Malomo, B. O., Olatunji, O. P., & Ikobayo, A. O.  (2020). Simulation and Experimental Verification of Electrical Power Output of a Microcontroller Based Solar Tracking Photovoltaic Module. International Journal of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Research, 9(1): 34-45. DOI: 10.18488/journal.13.2020.91.34.45
4. Hahn G,, Schönecker A., New crystalline silicon ribbon materials for photovoltaics, Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, Volume 16, (2004) R161.
5. Zhang C., Li X., Shang A., Zhan Y., Yang Z., Wu S., Performance-improved thin-film a-Si:H/µc-Si:H tandem solar cells by two dimensionally nanopaterning photoactive layer, Nanoscale Research Letters, 2014, vol. 9, 73.
6. Shalini, S.; Balasundaraprabhu, R.; Kumar, T.S.; Prabavathy, N.; Senthilarasu, S.; Prasanna, S. Status and

outlook of sensitizers/dyes used in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC): A review. Int. J. Energy Res. 2016, 40,1303–1320

7. Yin, W.; Shi, T.; Yan, Y. Unique Properties of Halide Perovskites as Possible Origins of the Superior Solar Cell Performance. Adv. Mater. 2014, 26, 4653–4658
8. Habisreutinger, S.N.; Leijtens, T.; Eperon, G.E.; Stranks, S.D.; Nicholas, R.J.; Snaith, H.J. Carbon nanotube/polymer composites as a highly stable hole collection layer in perovskite solar cells. Nano Lett. 2014, 14, 5561–5568.
9. D Saliba, M.; Matsui, T.; Seo, J.; Domanski, K.; Correa-Baena, J.; Nazeeruddin, M.K.; Zakeeruddin, S.M.; Tress, W.; Abate, A.; Hagfeldt, A.; et al. Cesium-containing triple cation perovskite solar cells: Improvedstability, reproducibility and high efficiency. Energy Environ. Sci. 2016, 9, 1989–1997.
10. Saliba, M.; Matsui, T.; Domanski, K.; Seo, J.-Y.; Ummadisingu, A.; Zakeeruddin, S.M.; Correa-Baena, J.-P.; Tress, W.R.; Abate, A.; Hagfeldt, A.; et al. Incorporation of rubidium cations into perovskite solar cells improves photovoltaic performance. Science 2016, 354, 206–209.
11. F Bera, D.; Qian, L.; Tseng, T.-K.; Holloway, P.-H. Quantum Dots and Their Multimodal Applications: A Review Materials 2010, 3, 2260–2345.
12. G- Tian, J.; Cao, G. Semiconductor quantum dot-sensitized solar cells. Nano Rev. 2013, 4, 22578.
13. Martin A.Green The Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC):From conception to mass production, Solar Energy Materials & Solar Cells, 143 (2015)190–197
14. Patent H01L31/02168 - Coatings for -devices characterised by at least one potential jump barrier or surface barrier for solar cells the coatings being antireflective or having enhancing optical properties for the solar cells
15. Ranjan S., Balaji S., Rocco A. Panella, B. Erik Ydstile, Silicon solar cell production, Computer & Chemical Engineering, 2011, 35 (8), 1438-1453

 

 

*English should be improved.

The text has been corrected

*The Abstract should be improved.

Change to:

The rapid development of the photovoltaic (PV) industry is determined by subsequent legal documents and directives, which indicate the need to use renewable energy sources in order to counteract climate pollution and strive to increase energy efficiency. The development of the photovoltaic industry in the near future will result in an increase in the amount of electrical and electronic waste from used photovoltaic panels. The total installed capacity of photovoltaic sources in Poland at the end of 2019 was almost 1,500 MW, and in May 2020 it exceeded 1,950 MW, and the weight of the installation was approx. 120,000. tone. The aim of the work is to present the types of materials used in the construction of photovoltaic panels, with particular emphasis on the possibility of recycling or utilization of individual elements. Additionally, the aim of the work was to describe the most important requirements addressed to the members of the European Union, which were formulated in the provisions of Directive 2012/19 / EU. Taking into account the number of photovoltaic panels produced in Poland, the possibility of recycling individual materials from PV assembly was analyzed. The author presented the problem of recycling in the combination of legal and material aspects, which will soon become the share of Poland as a member of the European Union.

*The References should be updated.

 

Answer: References have been updated

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14. Adewole, B. Z., Malomo, B. O., Olatunji, O. P., & Ikobayo, A. O.  (2020). Simulation and Experimental Verification of Electrical Power Output of a Microcontroller Based Solar Tracking Photovoltaic Module. International Journal of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Research, 9(1): 34-45. DOI: 10.18488/journal.13.2020.91.34.45
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*The goal of this article is not clear. Please more explain it.

Change to:

The aim of the work is to present the types of materials used in the construction of photovoltaic panels, with particular emphasis on the possibility of recycling or utilization of individual elements. Additionally, the aim of the work was to describe the most important requirements addressed to the members of the European Union, which were formulated in the provisions of Directive 2012/19 / EU. Taking into account the number of photovoltaic panels produced in Poland, the possibility of recycling individual materials from PV assembly was analyzed. The author presented the problem of recycling in the combination of legal and material aspects, which will soon become the share of Poland as a member of the European Union.

*There are some typing errors and inaccuracies in the manuscript. Please, check the paper again for any possible misprints.

Answer: The manuscript has been checked for stylistic errors, sense of sentences and typographical errors.

 

*The quality of figures should be improved.

Figure 3.  View of materials used in the production of second generation photovoltaic cells: a) amorphous silicon; b) cadmium telluride (CdTe); c) CIGS (Copper indium gallium diselenide); d) HIT type cell [30]

Figure 6. Recycling and reuse processes of PV materials, modified from [66]

 

 

* The conclusion should be improved.

Since 2015, the number of installed crystalline silicon (C-Si) panels exceeds 30% of all solutions based on photovoltaic panels. More than 90% of their mass consists of glass, polymer and aluminum. As can be seen from the presented data, all the listed components can be recycled, although in the case of c-Si panels these processes are not the simplest. In addition to silicon, photovoltaics can contain silver, trace amounts of elements such as tin, lead, copper and zinc, which together can make up about 4% by weight of potentially hazardous waste. This waste, along with heavy metals such as cadmium, tin and lead, may end up in the polluted environment. Regardless of the source of heavy metals, biological or chemical treatment processes are currently in use. As of today, large-scale recycling of solar panels is not possible. The PV industry, if you can call it that, doesn't have the resources or the tools to set up recycling facilities and build a closed solar recycling market. The market for the energy sector, and especially the solar power industry, is not yet clear, as is its policy framework, regulations, economics and methodologies in many parts of the world. This is a new environmental challenge for the photovoltaic industry, especially in countries where the share of this type of companies is increasing, i.e. China, Japan and Germany. Currently, the recycling of PV materials is carried out by companies that regularly recycle other waste, and their activities are listed in the DPPWM database (Poland). The European Union countries have developed a number of measures in the provisions of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulation, which requires all producers supplying photovoltaic panels to the EU market to finance the costs related to disassembly, transport and recycling - life modules.

As of today, the installed power of photovoltaic panels in Poland at the end of 2020 reached 2.5 GW, which places Poland in 5th place among the EU countries. Analyzing the data related to the weight of photovoltaic panels installed in Poland in 2020, it was approx. 120 thousand. tone. It is estimated that the total weight of the panels by 2025 will exceed 400,000. tone. Such a development of the market of renewable energy sources will make it necessary to recycle the panels. Recycling costs will have to be included in the installation costs for the installation users and the panel manufacturers.

* Introduction part needs to be extended by some of the recently published papers to show the importance of Photovoltaic systems and all its aspects in high-quality journals. The following references should be included in this manuscript:

Answer: Thanks for these comments. Manuscript content has been improved.

 

1. Adewole, B. Z., Malomo, B. O., Olatunji, O. P., & Ikobayo, A. O.  (2020). Simulation and Experimental Verification of Electrical Power Output of a Microcontroller Based Solar Tracking Photovoltaic Module. International Journal of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Research, 9(1): 34-45. DOI: 10.18488/journal.13.2020.91.34.45
2. Xu, Yi-Peng, Ping Ouyang, Si-Ming Xing, Lu-Yu Qi, and Hasan Jafari. "Optimal structure design of a PV/FC HRES using amended Water Strider Algorithm." Energy Reports 7 (2021): 2057-2067.
3. Ahmadi, M.H., Baghban, A., Sadeghzadeh, M., Zamen, M., Mosavi, A., Shamshirband, S., Kumar, R. and Mohammadi-Khanaposhtani, M., 2020. Evaluation of electrical efficiency of photovoltaic thermal solar collector. Engineering Applications of Computational Fluid Mechanics, 14(1), pp.545-565.

 

Reviewer 2 Report

The author reviewed the types of materials used in the construction of photovoltaic panels, taking into account the possibility of recycling or utilization of individual elements, and the possibility of recycling individual materials from PV assembly was analyzed, taking into account the type and mass content of elements, the basic processes used for recycling or utilization of these materials in Poland were described as well. The discussion and analysis were described comprehensively. However, there are some problems existing in this paper which the authors must pay attention to deal with.

1. The significance of this study should be highlighted in the abstract.
2. Some expressions in the manuscript are not clear. An English native speaker is suggested to carefully proofread it again. Additionally, some descriptions are not scientific, e.g., “Photovoltaic installations allow you to obtain clean and cheap electricity by converting energy from solar radiation into electricity using photovoltaic cells.”
3. Some mistakes can be found as well, e.g., “and the weight 107 of the installation was approximately 120,000. tone.” in lines 107 and 108. Please carefully check through the manuscript.
4. From the reviewer’s point of view, some titles of the sections in the manuscript cannot not properly indicate the content in the corresponding parts, e.g., chapters 2 and 3.
5. Normally, first-person pronouns are rarely used in scientific papers. The authors are requested to consider modifying some expressions to reduce the use of first-person pronouns.
6. The format of the reference is not consistent.

Author Response

Answer to Reviewer #2

Thank you very much for all your comments and time. Below we present the changes that were made to the manuscript and the responses to the remarks of the honorable Reviewer:

The author reviewed the types of materials used in the construction of photovoltaic panels, taking into account the possibility of recycling or utilization of individual elements, and the possibility of recycling individual materials from PV assembly was analyzed, taking into account the type and mass content of elements, the basic processes used for recycling or utilization of these materials in Poland were described as well. The discussion and analysis were described comprehensively. However, there are some problems existing in this paper which the authors must pay attention to deal with.

1. The significance of this study should be highlighted in the abstract.

Abstract: The rapid development of the photovoltaic (PV) industry is determined by subsequent legal documents and directives, which indicate the need to use renewable energy sources in order to counteract climate pollution and strive to increase energy efficiency. The development of the photovoltaic industry in the near future will result in an increase in the amount of electrical and electronic waste from used photovoltaic panels. The total installed capacity of photovoltaic sources in Poland at the end of 2019 was almost 1,500 MW, and in May 2020 it exceeded 1,950 MW, and the weight of the installation was approx. 120,000. tone. The aim of the work is to present the types of materials used in the construction of photovoltaic panels, with particular emphasis on the possibility of recycling or utilization of individual elements. Additionally, the aim of the work was to describe the most important requirements addressed to the members of the European Union, which were formulated in the provisions of Directive 2012/19 / EU. Taking into account the number of photovoltaic panels produced in Poland, the possibility of recycling individual materials from PV assembly was analyzed. The author presented the problem of recycling in the combination of legal and material aspects, which will soon become the share of Poland as a member of the European Union.

 

2. Some expressions in the manuscript are not clear. An English native speaker is suggested to carefully proofread it again. Additionally, some descriptions are not scientific, e.g., “Photovoltaic installations allow you to obtain clean and cheap electricity by converting energy from solar radiation into electricity using photovoltaic cells.”

 

Answer: Thanks for these comments. Manuscript content has been improved.

Photovoltaic installations allow you to obtain clean and cheap electricity by converting energy from solar radiation into electricity using photovoltaic cells.

 

3. Some mistakes can be found as well, e.g., “and the weight 107 of the installation was approximately 120,000. tone.” in lines 107 and 108. Please carefully check through the manuscript.

 

Answer: Changes have been made, some of them are listed below. Others have been amended throughout the manuscript.

 

According to the Institute of Renewable Energy, until 2018 Polish companies supplied the market with about 50% of key devices (photovoltaic modules) and almost 100% of installation services [5].

According to the National Energy and Climate Plan for 2021-2030 [4,7], an important role in the development of renewable energy sources in the energy mix will be scientific research, innovation and competitiveness of the energy sector as part of R & D & I (research + development + implementation).

The Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan [5] emphasizes that in the future there will be even stronger development of technologies and innovations in the field of obtaining energy from renewable energy sources, especially PV technology.

 

The total installed capacity of photovoltaic sources in Poland at the end of 2019 was almost 1,500 MW, and in May 2020 it exceeded 1,950 MW. The mass of the installed installations amounted to approx. 120 000 tone.

90% of the solar cell production market is the production of crystalline silicon modules.

After the leaching process was carried out, the authors of [58] performed an analysis simulating the process of residual Si impurities.

4. From the reviewer’s point of view, some titles of the sections in the manuscript cannot not properly indicate the content in the corresponding parts, e.g., chapters 2 and 3.

 

Change to:

Chapter 2. Materials for photovoltaics cell technology

Chapter 3. Production and market of individual photovoltaic panels

Chapter 4. Recycling process of photovoltaic panels

Chapter 5. The recycling process of solar panels in Poland in terms of legal and environmental conditions

 

 

5. Normally, first-person pronouns are rarely used in scientific papers. The authors are requested to consider modifying some expressions to reduce the use of first-person pronouns.

 

Answer: Thanks for these comments. Manuscript content has been improved.

 

 

6. The format of the reference is not consistent.

 

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Please find attached

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Answer to Reviewer #3

Thank you very much for all your comments and time. Below we present the changes that were made to the manuscript and the responses to the remarks of the honorable Reviewer:

 

Summary: The paper starts by describing the different PV technologies, and the current PV market; to argue that recycling of the PV is inevitable. It then describes the recycling process, and focuses on the recycling issues in Poland.

General Comments:

There are many grammatical and structural errors in the manuscript, I have given some them below. I have stopped after lines 26-33 in pointing out the errors. The authors need to address this point.

Specific comments

1. Abstract

 

2. Introduction

- Line 26: “… in the National Power Grids is…”. in the National Power Grids is 2,261.347 MWp,

 

- Line 27: “… at peak time, photovoltaic installations provides approximately…”. at the peak time, photovoltaic installations provides approximately 71

- Line 28: “… equivalent to a capacity of…”.  equivalent to a capacity of 1,609 MW

- Line 30: “…Electricity consumption is increasing, which results in an increase in..”  which results in an increase

 

- Line 33: “…a capcity of ???kW” It is assumed that in Polish climatic conditions, an optimally located and constructed photovoltaic installation is able to produce a little over 1,000 kWh per year from each installed installation with a capacity of 1000 kWh.

- Line 53: Incomplete sentence According to the Institute of Renewable Energy, until 2018 Polish companies supplied the market with about 50% of key devices (photovoltaic modules) and almost 100% of installation services [5].

 

- Line 62-64: incomplete sentence According to the National Energy and Climate Plan for 2021-2030 [4,7], an important role in the development of renewable energy sources in the energy mix will be scientific research, innovation and competitiveness of the energy sector as part of R & D & I (research + development + implementation).

 

- Line 82: PV technology instead of PV energy PV technology

 

- Line 83-85: incomplete sentence. The Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan [5] emphasizes that in the future there will be even stronger development of technologies and innovations in the field of obtaining energy from renewable energy sources, especially PV technology.

- Line 93-94: “Directive 2012/19 / EU [11] on increasing the amount of waste from electrical equipment”, - directive on increasing the amount of waste?? Are you sure? Directive 2012/19 / EU [11] extends the scope of electrowaste to include used photovoltaic panels as large-size equipment which, after appropriate segregation, can be recycled and / or utilized.

 

- Line 108: “120,000. tonne” – can lose the full stop after 120,000 120,000 tone.  

 

3. PV Technologies

- Line 140: repetitive sentences . As a result of the voltage, a current is created that flows through the external circuit.

 

- Line 145-184: You listed 3 c-Si first generation solar cells, but missed to describe Ribbon sheets. Can you please provide description for completeness

An alternative to silicon wafers are crystalline silicon ribbons, the production of which is based on wafers from ingots. Ribbon technologies are characterized by the fact that the wafers are crystallized directly from the molten material to the desired thickness and there are no losses in the gaps. Consequently, they offer a high potential to significantly reduce the cost of PV energy compared to ingot wafer technology [20].

[20] Hahn G,, Schönecker A., New crystalline silicon ribbon materials for photovoltaics, Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, Volume 16, (2004) R161.

 

 

- Line 189-239: For 2nd generation PV solar cells, you listed a-Si, CdTe, a-Si-μc Si, and CIGS/CIS, but describe HITS instead in the description.

Multi-junction cells (a-Si-μc Si) are tandem solar cells that consist of amorphous and microcrystalline silicon junctions. The latest research concerns the study of new joint patterns as a two-dimensional photonic crystal. Such innovative solutions increase the efficiency of light conversion by more than 20% compared to conventional planar configurations [28].

[28] Zhang C., Li X., Shang A., Zhan Y., Yang Z., Wu S., Performance-improved thin-film a-Si:H/µc-Si:H tandem solar cells by two dimensionally nanopaterning photoactive layer, Nanoscale Research Letters, 2014, vol. 9, 73.

 

1. d) Heterojunction with Intrinsic Thin layer (HIT) cells - these are cells whose construction uses a single layer of n-type silicon, surrounded on both sides by thin layers of n and p-type amorphous silicon, as shown in Fig. 3d. The efficiency of HIT photovoltaic cells exceeds all other types of thin-film cells (reaching efficiency of up to 23%), and their decisive advantage is both a large increase in work efficiency with increasing temperature, and high efficiency in typical weather conditions. These cells are both in the traditional shape and in the shape of the so-called honeycomb, which allows better use of the potential of silicon crystals [24-25].

 

 

- Line 250: please give full name and then, only abbreviate… i.e. passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC).

Answer: It has changed.

 

- Line 245-296: You listed 6 3rd generation PV solar cells, but only described 3 (DSSC, organic and perovskite), and even for perovskite, very little description. Can you please describe all 3rd generation PV solar cells, and give more description as these are more interesting; being at the forefront of technology.

a)…. DSC/DSSC:

To improve the electrical conductivity and light capture in the back layers, the conductive crystal is most often indium doped tin oxide (ITO) and zinc oxide doped with fluoride (FTO). The semiconductor electrode is usually a thin layer (~ 5–30 m) layer of nanocrystalline titanium dioxide (TiO2), the porous structure of which facilitates the deposition of the dye on the surface. DSSCs operate in low light conditions. This type of cells is ideal for low density applications such as rooftop solar collectors where the mechanical strength and light weight of the glassless collector is a big advantage. thin conductive material, which allows for quick heat dissipation. The disadvantage is the need to use a liquid electrolyte which may freeze at low temperatures. An additional disadvantage is that the electrolyte solution contains organic compounds that are toxic to human health and the environment. Recently, progress has been made in the field of materials and the use of materials such as ruthenium compounds, quantum dots, natural dyes and organic compounds excluding metals [36]

 

[36] Shalini, S.; Balasundaraprabhu, R.; Kumar, T.S.; Prabavathy, N.; Senthilarasu, S.; Prasanna, S. Status and

outlook of sensitizers/dyes used in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC): A review. Int. J. Energy Res. 2016, 40,1303–1320

 

1. c) Perovskite solar cell….

A perovskite solar cell is a type of solar cell that contains a perovskite structural compound, most commonly a hybrid organic-inorganic material based on lead or tin halide, as the active light-collecting layer. Perovskite materials such as lead methylammonium halides are cheap and relatively simple to manufacture. Perovskite cells are printed on PET film, making them thin, light, flexible and efficient, they can be used in places that do not have perfect lighting and in the interiors of buildings with artificial lighting. A compound with a perovskite structure is used as an active layer that is sandwiched between an electron transporting layer (usually mesoporous) and a hole transport layer. Perovskite cells are easy to manufacture, and their high water absorption coefficient allows them to absorb the entire visible solar spectrum with ultra-thin layers (~ 500 nm) [39]

[39] Yin, W.; Shi, T.; Yan, Y. Unique Properties of Halide Perovskites as Possible Origins of the Superior Solar Cell Performance. Adv. Mater. 2014, 26, 4653–4658

 

These cells are unstable in the environment of moisture and oxygen, they are brittle, not very resistant to heat and heat. The absorbing material dissolves in water, which leads to the degradation of the cells. To counter this, it is necessary to encapsulate the perovskite absorber, for example in a composite of carbon nanotubes [40]

[40] Habisreutinger, S.N.; Leijtens, T.; Eperon, G.E.; Stranks, S.D.; Nicholas, R.J.; Snaith, H.J. Carbon nanotube/polymer composites as a highly stable hole collection layer in perovskite solar cells. Nano Lett. 2014, 14, 5561–5568.

 

The highest efficiency of perovskite cells (21.1-21.6%) was obtained by mixing various cations, creating perovskite: rubidium, cesium, lead, tin, germanium and anions that can optimize the solar spectra: chloride, bromide, rhodium anions [41-42]

 

[41] D Saliba, M.; Matsui, T.; Seo, J.; Domanski, K.; Correa-Baena, J.; Nazeeruddin, M.K.; Zakeeruddin, S.M.; Tress, W.; Abate, A.; Hagfeldt, A.; et al. Cesium-containing triple cation perovskite solar cells: Improvedstability, reproducibility and high efficiency. Energy Environ. Sci. 2016, 9, 1989–1997.

 

[42] Saliba, M.; Matsui, T.; Domanski, K.; Seo, J.-Y.; Ummadisingu, A.; Zakeeruddin, S.M.; Correa-Baena, J.-P.; Tress, W.R.; Abate, A.; Hagfeldt, A.; et al. Incorporation of rubidium cations into perovskite solar cells improves photovoltaic performance. Science 2016, 354, 206–209.

 

1. d) Quantum dot cells (QDs) are nanoscale semiconductor materials belonging to groups II-VI, III-V or IV-VI of the periodic table of the elements, which have a discrete spectrum of quantized energy, because motion electrons and holes are limited. Due to the nanoscale, dimensions, usually in the range of 2–10 nm [43-44], show properties intermediate between mass semiconductors and discrete atoms or particles. In the QD structure, we can distinguish a core on which there are layers of various compounds. It is also possible to embed the QD in a die made of a different material. The QD concentration affects the yield of the material, the addition of nanoparticles can even improve the yield up to 40% depending on the concentration of nanodots. The advantages of CPV based on QDs include a favorable power-to-weight ratio, savings in weight and space, low energy consumption, and versatile use. Some of the QDs can be toxic (CdSe) and require a protective coating and are difficult to size controlling.

[43] F Bera, D.; Qian, L.; Tseng, T.-K.; Holloway, P.-H. Quantum Dots and Their Multimodal Applications: A Review.

Materials 2010, 3, 2260–2345.

[44] G- Tian, J.; Cao, G. Semiconductor quantum dot-sensitized solar cells. Nano Rev. 2013, 4, 22578.

 

21. e) PERC (passivated emitter and rear cell) and PERL (passivated emitter and rear locally diffused); The first high-performance PERC cells were produced in 1988, with the efficiency of 21.8% confirmed in Sandia in October 1988 (20.9% according to the applicable standards) [45]. As can be seen from the general data of patent H01L31 / 02168 [46] the invention discloses a method of preparing a PERC solar cell, a passivated film is placed locally on the back of a silicon chip by screen printing to form a back passivation layer with specific patterns. The material performance is influenced by the method of fiber preparation, the process of back-polishing and etching, and then decontamination of the glass. For the production of PERC, the method of local screen printing of alumina foil or silicon oxide foil on the back of the silicon chip is used, thermal treatment is carried out and then the anti-reflective silicon oxide face is deposited.

 

[45] Martin A.Green The Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC):From conception to mass production, Solar Energy Materials & Solar Cells, 143 (2015)190–197

 

[46] patent H01L31/02168 - Coatings for -devices characterised by at least one potential jump barrier or surface barrier for solar cells the coatings being antireflective or having enhancing optical properties for the solar cells

 

- Fig. 3: Can you please properly label the numbering of the Fig please.

 

Figure 3.  View of materials used in the production of second generation photovoltaic cells: a) amorphous silicon; b) cadmium telluride (CdTe); c) CIGS (Copper indium gallium diselenide); d) HIT type cell [30]

 

4. The PV Market

 

5. Recycling Process

- Line 354: “The PV cell market is dominated in 90% by modules made of crystalline silicon.” – the sentence does not make sense

90% of the solar cell production market is the production of crystalline silicon modules..

 

- Line 360-376:- Any references on the process?

[55] Ranjan S., Balaji S., Rocco A. Panella, B. Erik Ydstile, Silicon solar cell production, Computer & Chemical Engineering, 2011, 35 (8), 1438-1453]

 

- Line 442: which authors?

After the leaching process was carried out, the authors of [58] performed an analysis simulating the process of residual Si impurities.

 

- Line 427: The recycling process is not in order… surely, the first process is the disassembly and then transporting it (Line 427), but this is mentioned only in the middle of the section on recycling process. I would urge the authors to describe the recycling process, in the order that the different steps are performed!

 

 

 

After disassembly, the panels are packed and transported to recycling companies, usually plants generally involved in this industry

 

- Line 463-473: Why are you mentioning general information here?? Please limit to the description of the recycling process only

Heavy metals are released into the environment by various types anthropogenic activities. Heavy metals accumulate in surface waters, soils and sewage. A significant amount of Zn, Cd, Hg, As or Pb is released into the environment as a result of industrial activities: mining, fuel combustion, production of batteries and accumulators. Regardless of the source of heavy metals, biological or chemical purification processes are currently used [61].

Cadmium is a heavy metal often used in various industrial activities. The main industrial applications of cadmium are the production of batteries, alloys and pigments [62]. The use of cadmium in batteries has increased recently. Out of concern for environmental protection, stringent limits for wastewater from electroplating plants have been introduced in some countries, including the USA.

 

 

6. Recycling process in terms of legal and environment conditions

 

- This section talks about recycling in Poland. Maybe can rename the section to reflect this.

Thank you very much for this and other comments. Your recommendations will greatly improve the quality of my work.

The recycling process of solar panels in Poland in terms of legal and environmental conditions

 

- Line 534-535: can you please give references

According to the Research & Markets report "Europe Solar Panel Recycling Market 2020-2027" [83], last year the value of this market amounted to USD 49.1 million, and forecasts assume that in the following years the average annual growth will amount to 19%.

[83] www.marketresearchreports.com

- Line 545: “They analyse data…”, who analyse data?

Analyzing data related to the mass of PV panels installed in Poland in 2020, it was approx. 120 thousand. tone.

 

7. Summary

- Can you change the section name to conclusion please

Conclusion

 

 

8. References

- I would suggest you increase the proportion of reputable journals as references.

 

Answer: References have been updated

1. Ahmadi, M.H., Baghban, A., Sadeghzadeh, M., Zamen, M., Mosavi, A., Shamshirband, S., Kumar, R. and Mohammadi-Khanaposhtani, M., 2020. Evaluation of electrical efficiency of photovoltaic thermal solar collector. Engineering Applications of Computational Fluid Mechanics, 14(1), pp.545-565.
2. Xu, Yi-Peng, Ping Ouyang, Si-Ming Xing, Lu-Yu Qi, and Hasan Jafari. "Optimal structure design of a PV/FC HRES using amended Water Strider Algorithm." Energy Reports 7 (2021): 2057-2067.
3. Adewole, B. Z., Malomo, B. O., Olatunji, O. P., & Ikobayo, A. O.  (2020). Simulation and Experimental Verification of Electrical Power Output of a Microcontroller Based Solar Tracking Photovoltaic Module. International Journal of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Research, 9(1): 34-45. DOI: 10.18488/journal.13.2020.91.34.45
4. Hahn G,, Schönecker A., New crystalline silicon ribbon materials for photovoltaics, Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, Volume 16, (2004) R161.
5. Zhang C., Li X., Shang A., Zhan Y., Yang Z., Wu S., Performance-improved thin-film a-Si:H/µc-Si:H tandem solar cells by two dimensionally nanopaterning photoactive layer, Nanoscale Research Letters, 2014, vol. 9, 73.
6. Shalini, S.; Balasundaraprabhu, R.; Kumar, T.S.; Prabavathy, N.; Senthilarasu, S.; Prasanna, S. Status and

outlook of sensitizers/dyes used in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC): A review. Int. J. Energy Res. 2016, 40,1303–1320

7. Yin, W.; Shi, T.; Yan, Y. Unique Properties of Halide Perovskites as Possible Origins of the Superior Solar Cell Performance. Adv. Mater. 2014, 26, 4653–4658
8. Habisreutinger, S.N.; Leijtens, T.; Eperon, G.E.; Stranks, S.D.; Nicholas, R.J.; Snaith, H.J. Carbon nanotube/polymer composites as a highly stable hole collection layer in perovskite solar cells. Nano Lett. 2014, 14, 5561–5568.
9. D Saliba, M.; Matsui, T.; Seo, J.; Domanski, K.; Correa-Baena, J.; Nazeeruddin, M.K.; Zakeeruddin, S.M.; Tress, W.; Abate, A.; Hagfeldt, A.; et al. Cesium-containing triple cation perovskite solar cells: Improvedstability, reproducibility and high efficiency. Energy Environ. Sci. 2016, 9, 1989–1997.
10. Saliba, M.; Matsui, T.; Domanski, K.; Seo, J.-Y.; Ummadisingu, A.; Zakeeruddin, S.M.; Correa-Baena, J.-P.; Tress, W.R.; Abate, A.; Hagfeldt, A.; et al. Incorporation of rubidium cations into perovskite solar cells improves photovoltaic performance. Science 2016, 354, 206–209.
11. F Bera, D.; Qian, L.; Tseng, T.-K.; Holloway, P.-H. Quantum Dots and Their Multimodal Applications: A Review Materials 2010, 3, 2260–2345.
12. G- Tian, J.; Cao, G. Semiconductor quantum dot-sensitized solar cells. Nano Rev. 2013, 4, 22578.
13. Martin A.Green The Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC):From conception to mass production, Solar Energy Materials & Solar Cells, 143 (2015)190–197
14. Patent H01L31/02168 - Coatings for -devices characterised by at least one potential jump barrier or surface barrier for solar cells the coatings being antireflective or having enhancing optical properties for the solar cells
15. Ranjan S., Balaji S., Rocco A. Panella, B. Erik Ydstile, Silicon solar cell production, Computer & Chemical Engineering, 2011, 35 (8), 1438-1453

 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

This article can be accepted.

Author Response

Answer to Reviewer #1

Thank you very much for all your comments and time. Below we present the changes that were made to the manuscript and the responses to the remarks of the honorable Reviewer:

This manuscript can be accepted for publication after major revisions, see the followings:

*The introduction should be improved (The literature review is weak).

1. Ahmadi, M.H., Baghban, A., Sadeghzadeh, M., Zamen, M., Mosavi, A., Shamshirband, S., Kumar, R. and Mohammadi-Khanaposhtani, M., 2020. Evaluation of electrical efficiency of photovoltaic thermal solar collector. Engineering Applications of Computational Fluid Mechanics, 14(1), pp.545-565.
2. Xu, Yi-Peng, Ping Ouyang, Si-Ming Xing, Lu-Yu Qi, and Hasan Jafari. "Optimal structure design of a PV/FC HRES using amended Water Strider Algorithm." Energy Reports 7 (2021): 2057-2067.
3. Adewole, B. Z., Malomo, B. O., Olatunji, O. P., & Ikobayo, A. O.  (2020). Simulation and Experimental Verification of Electrical Power Output of a Microcontroller Based Solar Tracking Photovoltaic Module. International Journal of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Research, 9(1): 34-45. DOI: 10.18488/journal.13.2020.91.34.45
4. Hahn G,, Schönecker A., New crystalline silicon ribbon materials for photovoltaics, Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, Volume 16, (2004) R161.
5. Zhang C., Li X., Shang A., Zhan Y., Yang Z., Wu S., Performance-improved thin-film a-Si:H/µc-Si:H tandem solar cells by two dimensionally nanopaterning photoactive layer, Nanoscale Research Letters, 2014, vol. 9, 73.
6. Shalini, S.; Balasundaraprabhu, R.; Kumar, T.S.; Prabavathy, N.; Senthilarasu, S.; Prasanna, S. Status and

outlook of sensitizers/dyes used in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC): A review. Int. J. Energy Res. 2016, 40,1303–1320

7. Yin, W.; Shi, T.; Yan, Y. Unique Properties of Halide Perovskites as Possible Origins of the Superior Solar Cell Performance. Adv. Mater. 2014, 26, 4653–4658
8. Habisreutinger, S.N.; Leijtens, T.; Eperon, G.E.; Stranks, S.D.; Nicholas, R.J.; Snaith, H.J. Carbon nanotube/polymer composites as a highly stable hole collection layer in perovskite solar cells. Nano Lett. 2014, 14, 5561–5568.
9. D Saliba, M.; Matsui, T.; Seo, J.; Domanski, K.; Correa-Baena, J.; Nazeeruddin, M.K.; Zakeeruddin, S.M.; Tress, W.; Abate, A.; Hagfeldt, A.; et al. Cesium-containing triple cation perovskite solar cells: Improvedstability, reproducibility and high efficiency. Energy Environ. Sci. 2016, 9, 1989–1997.
10. Saliba, M.; Matsui, T.; Domanski, K.; Seo, J.-Y.; Ummadisingu, A.; Zakeeruddin, S.M.; Correa-Baena, J.-P.; Tress, W.R.; Abate, A.; Hagfeldt, A.; et al. Incorporation of rubidium cations into perovskite solar cells improves photovoltaic performance. Science 2016, 354, 206–209.
11. F Bera, D.; Qian, L.; Tseng, T.-K.; Holloway, P.-H. Quantum Dots and Their Multimodal Applications: A Review Materials 2010, 3, 2260–2345.
12. G- Tian, J.; Cao, G. Semiconductor quantum dot-sensitized solar cells. Nano Rev. 2013, 4, 22578.
13. Martin A.Green The Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC):From conception to mass production, Solar Energy Materials & Solar Cells, 143 (2015)190–197
14. Patent H01L31/02168 - Coatings for -devices characterised by at least one potential jump barrier or surface barrier for solar cells the coatings being antireflective or having enhancing optical properties for the solar cells
15. Ranjan S., Balaji S., Rocco A. Panella, B. Erik Ydstile, Silicon solar cell production, Computer & Chemical Engineering, 2011, 35 (8), 1438-1453

 

 

*English should be improved.

The text has been corrected

*The Abstract should be improved.

Change to:

The rapid development of the photovoltaic (PV) industry is determined by subsequent legal documents and directives, which indicate the need to use renewable energy sources in order to counteract climate pollution and strive to increase energy efficiency. The development of the photovoltaic industry in the near future will result in an increase in the amount of electrical and electronic waste from used photovoltaic panels. The total installed capacity of photovoltaic sources in Poland at the end of 2019 was almost 1,500 MW, and in May 2020 it exceeded 1,950 MW, and the weight of the installation was approx. 120,000. tone. The aim of the work is to present the types of materials used in the construction of photovoltaic panels, with particular emphasis on the possibility of recycling or utilization of individual elements. Additionally, the aim of the work was to describe the most important requirements addressed to the members of the European Union, which were formulated in the provisions of Directive 2012/19 / EU. Taking into account the number of photovoltaic panels produced in Poland, the possibility of recycling individual materials from PV assembly was analyzed. The author presented the problem of recycling in the combination of legal and material aspects, which will soon become the share of Poland as a member of the European Union.

*The References should be updated.

 

Answer: References have been updated

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74. -S. Chen , Y.-J. Chen, C.-H. Lee, Y.-J. Cheng, Y.-A. Chen, F.-W. Liu, Y.-C. Wang, Y.-L. Chueh, Recovery of Valuable Materials from the Waste Crystalline-Silicon Photovoltaic Cell and Ribbon, doi.org/10.3390/pr9040712
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77. Satarug, J.R. Baker, S. Urbenjapol, M. Haswell-Elkins, P. E B Reilly, D. J. Williams, M. R Moore, A global perspective on cadmium pollution and toxicity in non-occupationally exposed population, Toxicol Lett, 2003 Jan 31;137(1-2):65-83, doi: 10.1016/s0378-4274(02)00381-8.
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*The goal of this article is not clear. Please more explain it.

Change to:

The aim of the work is to present the types of materials used in the construction of photovoltaic panels, with particular emphasis on the possibility of recycling or utilization of individual elements. Additionally, the aim of the work was to describe the most important requirements addressed to the members of the European Union, which were formulated in the provisions of Directive 2012/19 / EU. Taking into account the number of photovoltaic panels produced in Poland, the possibility of recycling individual materials from PV assembly was analyzed. The author presented the problem of recycling in the combination of legal and material aspects, which will soon become the share of Poland as a member of the European Union.

*There are some typing errors and inaccuracies in the manuscript. Please, check the paper again for any possible misprints.

Answer: The manuscript has been checked for stylistic errors, sense of sentences and typographical errors.

 

*The quality of figures should be improved.

Figure 3.  View of materials used in the production of second generation photovoltaic cells: a) amorphous silicon; b) cadmium telluride (CdTe); c) CIGS (Copper indium gallium diselenide); d) HIT type cell [30]

Figure 6. Recycling and reuse processes of PV materials, modified from [66]

 

 

* The conclusion should be improved.

Since 2015, the number of installed crystalline silicon (C-Si) panels exceeds 30% of all solutions based on photovoltaic panels. More than 90% of their mass consists of glass, polymer and aluminum. As can be seen from the presented data, all the listed components can be recycled, although in the case of c-Si panels these processes are not the simplest. In addition to silicon, photovoltaics can contain silver, trace amounts of elements such as tin, lead, copper and zinc, which together can make up about 4% by weight of potentially hazardous waste. This waste, along with heavy metals such as cadmium, tin and lead, may end up in the polluted environment. Regardless of the source of heavy metals, biological or chemical treatment processes are currently in use. As of today, large-scale recycling of solar panels is not possible. The PV industry, if you can call it that, doesn't have the resources or the tools to set up recycling facilities and build a closed solar recycling market. The market for the energy sector, and especially the solar power industry, is not yet clear, as is its policy framework, regulations, economics and methodologies in many parts of the world. This is a new environmental challenge for the photovoltaic industry, especially in countries where the share of this type of companies is increasing, i.e. China, Japan and Germany. Currently, the recycling of PV materials is carried out by companies that regularly recycle other waste, and their activities are listed in the DPPWM database (Poland). The European Union countries have developed a number of measures in the provisions of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulation, which requires all producers supplying photovoltaic panels to the EU market to finance the costs related to disassembly, transport and recycling - life modules.

As of today, the installed power of photovoltaic panels in Poland at the end of 2020 reached 2.5 GW, which places Poland in 5th place among the EU countries. Analyzing the data related to the weight of photovoltaic panels installed in Poland in 2020, it was approx. 120 thousand. tone. It is estimated that the total weight of the panels by 2025 will exceed 400,000. tone. Such a development of the market of renewable energy sources will make it necessary to recycle the panels. Recycling costs will have to be included in the installation costs for the installation users and the panel manufacturers.

* Introduction part needs to be extended by some of the recently published papers to show the importance of Photovoltaic systems and all its aspects in high-quality journals. The following references should be included in this manuscript:

Answer: Thanks for these comments. Manuscript content has been improved.

 

1. Adewole, B. Z., Malomo, B. O., Olatunji, O. P., & Ikobayo, A. O.  (2020). Simulation and Experimental Verification of Electrical Power Output of a Microcontroller Based Solar Tracking Photovoltaic Module. International Journal of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Research, 9(1): 34-45. DOI: 10.18488/journal.13.2020.91.34.45
2. Xu, Yi-Peng, Ping Ouyang, Si-Ming Xing, Lu-Yu Qi, and Hasan Jafari. "Optimal structure design of a PV/FC HRES using amended Water Strider Algorithm." Energy Reports 7 (2021): 2057-2067.
3. Ahmadi, M.H., Baghban, A., Sadeghzadeh, M., Zamen, M., Mosavi, A., Shamshirband, S., Kumar, R. and Mohammadi-Khanaposhtani, M., 2020. Evaluation of electrical efficiency of photovoltaic thermal solar collector. Engineering Applications of Computational Fluid Mechanics, 14(1), pp.545-565.

 

Reviewer 2 Report

I am pleased that the questions were carefully answered by authors, and the suggestions were all considered by the authors according to the feedback. 

Author Response

Answer to Reviewer #2

Thank you very much for all your comments and time. Below we present the changes that were made to the manuscript and the responses to the remarks of the honorable Reviewer:

The author reviewed the types of materials used in the construction of photovoltaic panels, taking into account the possibility of recycling or utilization of individual elements, and the possibility of recycling individual materials from PV assembly was analyzed, taking into account the type and mass content of elements, the basic processes used for recycling or utilization of these materials in Poland were described as well. The discussion and analysis were described comprehensively. However, there are some problems existing in this paper which the authors must pay attention to deal with.

1. The significance of this study should be highlighted in the abstract.

Abstract: The rapid development of the photovoltaic (PV) industry is determined by subsequent legal documents and directives, which indicate the need to use renewable energy sources in order to counteract climate pollution and strive to increase energy efficiency. The development of the photovoltaic industry in the near future will result in an increase in the amount of electrical and electronic waste from used photovoltaic panels. The total installed capacity of photovoltaic sources in Poland at the end of 2019 was almost 1,500 MW, and in May 2020 it exceeded 1,950 MW, and the weight of the installation was approx. 120,000. tone. The aim of the work is to present the types of materials used in the construction of photovoltaic panels, with particular emphasis on the possibility of recycling or utilization of individual elements. Additionally, the aim of the work was to describe the most important requirements addressed to the members of the European Union, which were formulated in the provisions of Directive 2012/19 / EU. Taking into account the number of photovoltaic panels produced in Poland, the possibility of recycling individual materials from PV assembly was analyzed. The author presented the problem of recycling in the combination of legal and material aspects, which will soon become the share of Poland as a member of the European Union.

 

2. Some expressions in the manuscript are not clear. An English native speaker is suggested to carefully proofread it again. Additionally, some descriptions are not scientific, e.g., “Photovoltaic installations allow you to obtain clean and cheap electricity by converting energy from solar radiation into electricity using photovoltaic cells.”

 

Answer: Thanks for these comments. Manuscript content has been improved.

Photovoltaic installations allow you to obtain clean and cheap electricity by converting energy from solar radiation into electricity using photovoltaic cells.

 

3. Some mistakes can be found as well, e.g., “and the weight 107 of the installation was approximately 120,000. tone.” in lines 107 and 108. Please carefully check through the manuscript.

 

Answer: Changes have been made, some of them are listed below. Others have been amended throughout the manuscript.

 

According to the Institute of Renewable Energy, until 2018 Polish companies supplied the market with about 50% of key devices (photovoltaic modules) and almost 100% of installation services [5].

According to the National Energy and Climate Plan for 2021-2030 [4,7], an important role in the development of renewable energy sources in the energy mix will be scientific research, innovation and competitiveness of the energy sector as part of R & D & I (research + development + implementation).

The Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan [5] emphasizes that in the future there will be even stronger development of technologies and innovations in the field of obtaining energy from renewable energy sources, especially PV technology.

 

The total installed capacity of photovoltaic sources in Poland at the end of 2019 was almost 1,500 MW, and in May 2020 it exceeded 1,950 MW. The mass of the installed installations amounted to approx. 120 000 tone.

90% of the solar cell production market is the production of crystalline silicon modules.

After the leaching process was carried out, the authors of [58] performed an analysis simulating the process of residual Si impurities.

4. From the reviewer’s point of view, some titles of the sections in the manuscript cannot not properly indicate the content in the corresponding parts, e.g., chapters 2 and 3.

 

Change to:

Chapter 2. Materials for photovoltaics cell technology

Chapter 3. Production and market of individual photovoltaic panels

Chapter 4. Recycling process of photovoltaic panels

Chapter 5. The recycling process of solar panels in Poland in terms of legal and environmental conditions

 

 

5. Normally, first-person pronouns are rarely used in scientific papers. The authors are requested to consider modifying some expressions to reduce the use of first-person pronouns.

 

Answer: Thanks for these comments. Manuscript content has been improved.

 

 

6. The format of the reference is not consistent.

 

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