The new technology is based on emerging solar cell technology, which uses perovskite – a compound that comprises lead.
Production of lead from raw ores can produce toxic residues.
Rather than using fresh perovskite, lead from old car batteries can be recycled for solar panels, thereby giving a new purpose to surplus lead.
The new technology also makes it cheaper and easier to produce solar panels than silicon-based cells and prevents the toxic material from entering into landfills.
Given that the perovskite photovoltaic material takes the form of a thin film, which measures just half a micrometer thick, the lead from a single car battery could produce enough solar panels to power 30 households.
Perovskite-based photovoltaic (PV) cells have already achieved over 19% efficiency in power-conversion, almost equal to that of several silicon-based solar cells.
MIT W.M. Keck energy professor Angela Belcher said: "It went from initial demonstrations to good efficiency in less than two years.
"It has the advantage of being a low-temperature process, and the number of steps is reduced, compared with the manufacture of conventional solar cells.
In a solar panel, the lead-containing layer would be completely encapsulated by other materials, thereby restricting the risk of lead contamination. Once the panels are retired, the lead can again be recycled into new solar panels.
Image: The study found that the lead from just one car battery could make enough solar panels to power 30 households. Photo: Courtesy of Christine Daniloff/MIT.
