this post was submitted on 07 Jun 2024
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[–] [email protected] 37 points 5 months ago (2 children)

It's funny how all the FUD idiots say that solar panels will wind up in the landfill and shit like that

[–] [email protected] 24 points 5 months ago (3 children)

It's a stupid argument against solar power, but it is a legitimate argument against cheap and poorly-constructed solar panels that do not have the same longevity as the ones built in the 90s.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The one's made now have plenty of longevity. They don't base the replacement time on when they actually go bad, and as long as they're not abused or get hit by bowling ball-sized hail or something, they'll keep producing some kind of power for a long time. It's just that for the space they take up, it may be worthwhile to replace them.

Same with EV batteries. They might have limited range after 10 years, but they could still be useful for things like home backup power without having to do a whole recycling job.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

But that's the problem. Early adopters are starting to see the performance drops and are just replacing their equipment, and we don't have a proper reuse pathway for a lot of it. We should prepare a plan for panel (and battery) repurposing to keep plastic and metals out of landfills. Recycling alone isn't enough.

Again, not a reason not to produce or adopt solar power and electric cars, but it is a legitimate second-level concern.

That's the tricky part with dismissing these concerns outright. Conservatives are not arguing in good faith, and take a kernel of truth surrounded by a mountain of bullshit. We don't want to overcorrect and ignore the problems, because that just fuels the bullshit arguments.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

Sounds like a problem that a good capitalist could solve. Take old panels for next to nothing, sell them for reduced price to used market customers.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Is there a problem with the market being flooded with cheap not very good solar panels? Every single panel I looked at to put on my roof have all been of the highest quality I've not seen anyone try and hawk anything substandard.

Unless of course they're lying about what panels they're using but realistically I can't see that lasting for very long.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago

Yes, we do have that problem, but it's not the panels anyone puts on a roof. It's the cheap plastic shit manufacturers put on disposable consumer devices like pathway lighting or portable chargers.

I wouldn't put that cheap shit on my roof, but as solar adoption increases, capitalists are gonna capitalize.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

I still plan on retiring my solar panels once I retire, or later

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Just read to the top comment saying it's profitable to replace them anyway.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago

And then the top comment to THAT comment wondering where and how to buy the still-effective replaced ones.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Just buy more and put them next to it lmao.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

That makes sense, but I guess the problem is that they take up a lot of space.