A typical modern solar panel weighs around 20 kilograms and can produce about 10 MWh over its lifespan under moderate sunlight conditions. This translates into roughly 2 kilograms of solid waste for every MWh produced. . Between 2020 and 2024, the global mass of discarded solar panels roughly quadrupled, rising from about 220,000 tonnes annually in 2020 to approaching 900,000 tonnes by 2024. These numbers sound significant on their own until we put them in proper context. The vast majority of this waste comes not. . Scientific estimates do state that aging solar panels will turn into millions of tonnes of waste over several decades, but the same estimates also tell us that it's a comparatively small amount of trash – the world creates billions of tonnes of solid waste each year. Measuring energy production versus consumption, 2. Identifying inefficiencies in the solar panels, 3. While these figures may seem alarming at first glance, they require context for proper understanding. Most of this waste does not stem from panels reaching their. .
