End-of-life waste management and environmentalimpacts of solar panels

The rapid global expansion of solar energy technologies has made end-oflife (EoL) photovoltaic (PV) panels an increasingly significant environmental concern. Although PV panels provide clean electricity generation throughout their 25-30-year operational lifespan, the management of these panels after their service life requires well-structured systems of recycling, reuse, and disposal. This thesis examines the material composition, life-cycle stages, and degradation mechanisms of PV panels, and evaluates end-of-life PV waste from environmental, technical, and economic perspectives. Mechanical, thermal, and chemical recycling techniques are comprehensively analyzed and compared in terms of recovery efficiency, technical feasibility, cost, and environmental impacts. Furthermore, PV waste management policies implemented in the European Union, the United States, and China are reviewed and compared with Turkey's current regulatory framework. Based on Turkey's increasing solar energy capacity, national PV waste projections for 2030- 2050 are presented, and the economic potential of material recovery is assessed. The findings demonstrate that establishing a sustainable PV waste management system in Turkey will require the development of recycling infrastructure, the implementation of extended producer responsibility (EPR), the introduction of technical standards, and the expansion of economic incentives. This study provides policy recommendations aimed at enhancing the environmental sustainability of Turkey's solar energy sector and contributes to the growing body of literature on circular economy applications in renewable energy systems.