CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN PHOTOVOLTAICS: AN ANALYSIS OF GLOBAL REGULATIONS AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS IN BRAZIL

Abstract

With the expansion of the market, the volume of waste generated by this sector is also growing. However, in several countries, regulations for the management of this waste at the end of its useful life are still inadequate, in part because the amount of solar modules discarded so far has been relatively low. This study reviews the value chain of photovoltaic solar energy, focusing on the analysis of regulations aimed at the management of photovoltaic waste at the end of its useful life, both nationally and internationally. To this end, a bibliometric review was carried out that analyzed 654 peer-reviewed articles published in English. The results offer an overview of the global regulations and standards applied to the treatment of photovoltaic waste, providing useful information for entrepreneurs and public policy makers in the evaluation of future photovoltaic technologies and in the creation of guidelines for the management of this waste.