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From manufacturing to installation, the life of a solar panel has a somewhat checkered history.
As eco-friendly as solar cells and modules are, within them exists a number of toxins that previously have been or someday will become harmful to the environment. Well, we can accept that nothing in life is perfect, and that all things considered, solar panels have a positive energy balance, but that doesn’t erase those toxins that plague many solar module components.BioSolar, Inc. is attempting to rectify that by replacing toxic materials with those from renewable plant materials. That effort has earned their products inclusion on the list of “PV Innovations on the Leading Edge for 2010? by Renewable Energy Focus magazine. Specifically, BioSolar has created BioBacksheets to replace the toxin-rich, petroleum-based backsheets used in most solar modules today.
BioBacksheets are made from castor beans and cotton, renewable plant resources that are both less expensive than traditional products and prove excellent thermal barriers and electric insulation for solar panels. By replacing the petroleum components of solar panels with “growable” alternatives, BioSolar will significantly reduce the environmental impact of solar components after their useful life is over. And while solar panels can last for 30 or 40 years and longer, within a few decades from the current solar boom, we can expect a parade of solar products heading for recycling plants or landfills.
