The Alberta Recycling Management Authority in one of Canada’s largest provinces is on a mission to find new uses for old solar energy panel materials. The amount of solar panel waste in Canada is growing, and regional governments are looking for productive ways to recycle the materials. Meng Tao, a professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Fulton Schools, says such a solution is needed in the U.S., where most old solar panels end up in landfills. Most panels are difficult to recycle because the materials can’t be separated without complex chemical processes, Tao says. He favors governments requiring manufacturers to make panels that are recyclable, as some European countries have done.