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The first generation of solar panels in use on homes and other buildings will soon be too old to work anymore.
用于住宅和其他建筑的第一代太阳能电池板很快就会老旧，无法再运转。
Owners will need to replace them.
所有者将需要更换它们。
But, what can be done with the old equipment, aside from adding it to waste landfills?
但是，除了将旧设备扔进垃圾填埋场外，还能怎么处理它们呢？
Adam Saghei in the U.S. state of Arizona hopes he has the answer.
美国亚利桑那州的亚当·萨吉希望他能找到答案。
He is the leader of a business called We Recycle Solar.
他是一家名为“我们回收太阳能”的公司的负责人。
He said most solar panels last about 30 years.
他说，大多数太阳能电池板的使用寿命约为30年。
So many of the first panels put to use in America are reaching the end of their usefulness.
因此，首批在美国投入使用的太阳能电池板中有许多的使用寿命即将完结。
Most will go to landfills, he said.
他说，大部分太阳能电池板将被送往垃圾填埋场。
However, his company, and a few others, are working to collect old panels and make them useful again.
然而，他的公司和其他几家公司正在努力收集旧电池板，并使它们重新发挥作用。
He said the process is part of what he called "the circular economy."
他说，这个过程是他所说的“循环经济”的一部分。
"(Solar) is a sustainable form of energy; there needs to be a plan for the retirement of those assets," he said.
他说：“太阳能是一种可持续的能源形式；我们需要为这些资产的退役制定计划”。
For example, Saghei said many of the panels that fail only have a small problem.
例如，萨吉说，许多有毛病的太阳能电池板只有一个小问题。
Often it can be easily fixed.
通常情况下，很容易就能修复这些问题。
Then, the repaired piece can be offered in new markets, often in other countries.
然后，修复后的零件可以在新的市场上销售，通常是在其他国家。
Saghei said the company's engineers learned how to recover valuable material from the old solar panels.
萨吉说，该公司的工程师学会了如何从旧太阳能电池板中回收有价值的材料。
They can remove silver, copper, glass, and silicone from the broken panels.
他们可以从破损的电池板上去除银、铜、玻璃和硅树脂。
All the materials have market value.
所有的材料都有市场价值。
It took the engineers three years to perfect the materials recovery process, which Saghei called "urban mining."
工程师们花了三年时间来完善材料回收过程，萨吉称这个过程为“城市开采”。
The company can process up to 7,500 solar panels every day at its center in Yuma.
该公司在尤马的中心每天可以加工多达7500块太阳能电池板。
Saghei said they can recover up to 99 percent of the useful material from each panel.
萨吉说，他们可以从每个电池板中回收高达99%的有用材料。
Meng Tao is a professor at Arizona State University and an expert on sustainable energy systems.
孟涛是亚利桑那州立大学教授，也是可持续能源系统专家。
He said solar panel installations will reach their highest numbers in about 20 years.
他说，太阳能电池板的安装数量将会达到20年来的最高水平。
At that point, he said, the number of new panels being produced will equal the number of old panels going out of service.
他说，到那时，正在生产的新太阳能电池板的数量将与退役的旧太阳能电池板的数量相当。
The cost to recycle the old panels, however, may be too high.
然而，回收旧太阳能电池板的成本可能太高了。
At that point, he said, it will be very easy for homeowners to decide to send their panels to a landfill.
他说，到那个时候，房主很容易就会决定将他们的太阳能电池板送到垃圾填埋场。
But the U.S. government, he said, should provide money for solar panel recycling projects as part of its environmental policies.
但他说，美国政府应该为太阳能电池板回收项目提供资金，作为其环境政策的一部分。
That way, making a better choice will be easier for homeowners.
这样，房主就能更容易做出更好的选择。
Saghei said he hopes his company is getting into the business at the right time.
萨吉说，他希望他的公司能在合适的时机进入这个行业。
Recovering the materials from old panels is costly work.
从旧电池板中回收材料是一项成本高昂的工作。
He said it takes a lot of labor, time and energy.
他说，这需要大量的劳动力、时间和精力。
But he thinks taking out the valuable materials and sending them back into the supply chain is a winning idea.
但他认为，取出有价值的材料并将其送回供应链是一个成功的想法。
"These are markets that are growing," Saghei said. "What's exciting is we're at the forefront."
萨吉说：“这些市场正在发展，令人兴奋的是，我们走在了前列。”
I'm Dan Friedell.
丹·弗里德尔为您播报。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
