Abstract
To the best of our knowledge, there are no end-of-life (EoL) management systems for photovoltaics modules (PV modules) in Japan. Although there are concerns regarding the massive amounts of waste that will be generated in the future, private companies are unable to provide EoL services as part of their business because waste generation is currently still in such limited amounts. In addition, a regulatory system for EoL management has not been clearly developed in Japan. In order to address these issues, we have analyzed the causes and were able to assess that different types of EoL systems will be needed for each type of waste being generated. Accordingly, in order to install sustainable EoL management systems in Japan we have been developing and trying to execute our plan with respect to collection systems that are accessible both from solar firms with high (more than or equal to 50kW) and low voltages (less than 50kW), as well as accessible at the time of and following natural disasters. As for reuse and recycling, we have been trying to establish the Economically Viable Application of Best Available Technology (EVABAT). This paper includes a discussion of what we are currently experimenting with and where we predict things will go from here.
