Photovoltaic Module Waste and the Circular Economy: A Compressive Review

The need for comfort in society demands more energy every day; various industries were created recently to supply energy, including that associated with photovoltaic technology. The usable life of photovoltaic modules is 20 to 30 years; the disposal of materials at the end of their use constitutes a source of contamination and value if treated correctly. With the intention of reducing the environmental impact, researchers and technologists have focused on studying and developing treatment alternatives. The aim of the present chapter was to explore the technologies associated with the disposal of photovoltaic module waste and its relationship with the circular economy. In addition, it is proposed to explain the evolution of scientific publications associated with the field of study through bibliometric indicators such as Publications and citations, countries, characteristics of the main authors, sources, network analysis of keywords in the previous 10 years using the database of Scopus. The main technologies associated with the treatment of photovoltaic panel waste will be described based on the profile of keywords in recent years. From 2018 to 2022 there is an exponential growth in publications related to the topic of PVm waste. The scientific community is busy establishing mechanisms to treat PVm that reach the end of their useful life, which is caused by the environmental impact represented by the projections of panels that will go into disuse. Technologists, researchers, students and companies will benefit from the content of this chapter, and it constitutes a decision-making tool to establish policies and laws to address the described problems.