"We're forever buying new tech and throwing out old stuff." "I never thought about it before. E-waste was a new topic for me." "And there are treasures to be found if you know where to look." "Usually these modules（[计] 模块） would all be discarded（丢弃）, but ideally we can salvage（抢救） 70 percent." "Roll materials can be recovered from E-waste without releasing toxic（有毒的） fumes in the process." "Many people aren't aware of the risks. There are many innovative ways E-waste can be reduced and recycled."

  "Let's take this with us." "Careful with the rail." "It's possible to do your part for the energy transition in the comfort of your own home." "In Hamburg, renewable（能再生的） power plants are being installed on private balconies." "They're constructed out of used solar modules." "It's great that we have modules that can be given a second lease on life. I'm very pleased about that."

  "They'd have landed in the shredder otherwise." Engineer Martin Völker used to research the efficiency（效率） of gas-fired power plants. He's now switched his focus to solar power, specifically to recycling old photovoltaic panels. "Customers are very satisfied. They're eager（渴望的） to produce their own solar power. New modules probably cost around 200 euros. Hours are less than a third of that, 60, 70 euros."

  Martin Völker finds buyers through the Zoli Zola Association, which helps people assemble（集合） balcony power plants and connect them to the grid（网格）, generating up to 600 watts（瓦特） of power. A used module is an even more sustainable solution. "A normal photovoltaic module has to be in action for two years to produce the electricity that was used for its own production." "But with a second-hand module, there is an immediate benefit for the climate." "How sensitive is this surface?" Stefan Grosjorhan has bought two used modules. He's learning how to install them.

  "We all have to think about how we'll produce electricity in the future. A balcony power plant is the simplest way to do that." Two modules with 600 watts of power provide enough electricity to run a washing machine and refrigerator, a saving of more than 100 euros per year. Stefan Grosjorhan lives close by. With the help of his wife, it takes him just a few hours to install the system on his balcony. "Look, we'll have solar power when the sun shines." So where exactly do the used modules come from?

  "Careful, we need to get out of the way." "We're dismantling（拆除） the panels and taking the modules（[计] 模块） down." Martin Völke is now in Magdeburg. 40,000 solar modules have been producing solar power here for more than 10 years. Some of them are being dismantled because the site needs to be renovated（更新）. At the waste management company he worked（使工作） for, Völke saw mountains of solar panels end up in the shredder, even ones that were still functional（ 实用的）.

  His plan to reuse them opened up a new line of business. "The motivation is simple. We want to avoid unnecessary e-waste. In 50, 100 years' time, I want my children and grandchildren to still have a planet worth living on." These solar panels had been underperforming, which is why the operating company hired Martin Völke. The modules don't have any obvious cracks or defects（过失）, but they are underperforming. When the sun is shining, each of these photovoltaic panels should produce 235 watts of electricity.

  After 10 years, the output might be slightly reduced. For a solar panel park geared（适合） to maximum profit, that's a problem. "If the output dropped by 4 or 5 percent, they'd still be perfect as a balcony power plant." It's a business model with great potential. Germany is facing a surge（巨涌） of used solar modules（[计] 模块）. That's partly due to the Renewable Energy Sources Act from 2000, which guaranteed fixed prices for solar power for 20 years.

  Many solar parts will go out of operation when exposed to the much lower market price. Experts predict by 2030 there will be one million tons of used modules in Germany alone, enough to cover an area larger than 11,000 soccer fields. Every salvaged solar panel means 20 kilos less electronic waste. E-waste will also be recycled in this warehouse（ 仓库） in India. Swiss entrepreneur Dia Veale is creating a space where workers can safely dismantle hazardous waste. And India, in Delhi, e-waste is taken apart in neighborhoods where children are playing, where food is being cooked.

  Veale wants to help put an end to that. Tens of thousands of people in India make their living off e-waste, risking their health in the process. In a suburb of Delhi, the Eco-Work Project wants to improve their working（工作） conditions. Dia Veale developed the concept together with an Indian-Swiss team. Here, they're building up to 40 workstations, which will be available to rent. There's a lot of light, sturdy（强健的） tables, we give them tools, they also have gloves.

  The idea is that they have a safe and healthy working environment, which they urgently need. Recycling e-waste produces toxic fumes, endangering not only workers, but also their families. Many people aren't aware of the risks. Most get into the business because it's in the family, and it's always been done the same way. Eco-Work wants to show people they do have options. The team regularly visits districts in Delhi that are hubs（毂） of the informal e-waste industry.

  Today, Anurag Gupta is accompanying Dia Veale. The import of e-waste has been banned in India for many years. Yet an estimated 50,000 tons are illegally imported from Western countries every year. According to Indian law, defective equipment can only be dismantled by officially licensed（许可） companies. But in reality, more than 90% of the scrap（小片） is illegally taken apart in backyards. We can't reveal exactly where this man is working.

  The police could turn up at any time. The worker is extracting（提取） metal from old transformers. He earns the equivalent of just €1 per hour. The company he works for buys e-waste and sells the metals to recyclers. That's where the money is made. But for the worker, one kilo of copper（铜） is worth just €10.

  Dia Veale knows to get him into the Eco-Work hall, she has to convince his boss. It's not easy. But this type of solution-oriented（ 确定方向） work and starting up a business with a great team is very gratifying and energizing（激励）. Most people in these back streets are making a living dismantling and recycling electrical parts. Dia Veale wants to take the industry out of the confines of city neighbourhoods. Electronic waste contains highly toxic substances including lead, cadmium（[化]镉） and mercury.

  A safe workplace would help protect workers from the health risks of exposure to these substances. Asla Malik is a major player in the e-waste sector.