Is solar waste management really a big problem??
I have come across many posts and articles talking about this with very different numbers. Before publishing numbers on any subject, I like to look for technical and scientific sources, qualified people working in prestigious and renowned institutions.
According to a recent paper from Dr. Heather Mirletz and colleagues published in Nature Physics, the solar waste in 2050 will be very small compared to other waste flows. Between 2016 and 2050, solar waste generation would amount to 54 to 160 million tonnes: less than one-tenth of e-waste streams, and at least 99.6% less than coal ash and municipal waste.
Dr. Hannah Ritchie, an expert in carbon management and senior researcher at the University of Oxford, says that... "one of the many upsides of renewable energy is that it’s much more ‘circular’ than fossil fuels and quite less toxic (a kilogram of arsenic or mercury is not the same as a kilogram of cotton in municipal waste). Build it and the fuel is resource-free for decades". Thus, solar waste causes much less harm than any other fossil fuel waste.
So, f you're worried about waste, then rapidly replacing coal with renewables will quickly reduce waste.
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