What is end-of-life (EOL) management?

Appropriate end-of-life (EoL) management (i.e. refurbishment, reuse, or recycle) of this technology is required, not only to mitigate environmental problems but also to avoid a shortage of critical materials to meet future resource demands. Appropriate EoL strategic planning will drive circular economy and enable more effective material recovery.

Can EOL management be transitioned to Circular Supply Chain Management?

The study then compiled and synthesised the drivers, barriers, and enablers to EoL management of solar PV and BESS, with the goal to develop a conceptual framework for transitioning the current PV system material flows and supply chain management practices to circular supply chain.

How EOL management can improve company's green image?

EoL management will increase company's green image and subsequently increase consumer and stakeholder trusts. Materials embedded in PV panels and BESS are sourced from different locations, enabling reuse and recycling of these materials will reduce material import demand.

What is the economic end of life of energy storage?

The profitability and functionality of energy storage decrease as cells degrade. The economic end of life is when the net profit of storage becomes negative. The economic end of life can be earlier than the physical end of life. The economic end of life decreases as the fixed O&M cost increases. Indices for time, typically a day.

What are the drivers of EOL management of PV panels?

The drivers were clustered under three categories: Economic: this cluster refers to economic opportunities that motivates stakeholders to implement EoL management of PV panels and BESS. Social: this cluster includes social benefits such as job creation, stakeholder expectations, and reducing human health risks.

What is economic EOL?

We define the economic EOL for EES as the point in time beyond which the EES is unable to earn positive net economic benefit through continued operation. In those cases where the economic EOL is found to be earlier than the physical EOL, the EES should be retired and either recycled or put into a different economically favorable application.