This compares to 292 million tons of total landfill waste in 2018 alone [1], putting solar panel waste on the order of 0.1% of total waste produced in the US between now and 2050.
[1] https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-...
You'd think that would be a primary point of discussion in any article on solar panel waste, but no.
No reason tin can’t be used instead/lead free panels can’t be made except for the saving of a few pennies by skimping on the solder - no regulations to ensure they should be lead free. Unfortunately waste processing decades into the future isn’t often accounted for and those few pennies at design time add up across hundreds of thousands of panels on a single site…
That oxide film tends to interfere pretty badly with wetting of surfaces being soldered. In other words - it's much easier to end up with a "dry" joint - even with adequately increased temperature - unless better and/or more flux is used.
1. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-10/coal-ash-has-become-o...
Coal is accumulated and relatively low, nuclear is concentrated and can reach several orders of magnitude more. Really, is not so useful to compare both cases except for whataboutism.
That's nice but you still have to wear a dosimeter around fly ash.
Which is to say, all the concern, even on inflated numbers, was FUD and a distraction from real problems.
or actual malice from the bad actors paid for by the fossil fuel companies to spread distrust in the transition to a more sustainable clean energy system.