Solar Panel Recycling Rush

June 4th 2023

Solar panels have a lifespan of up to 25 years, creating a challenge as billions will eventually need disposal and replacement as the first generation of solar panels are coming to an end. Urgent government action is needed, especially considering the lack of recycling infrastructure in Ireland and limited capacity in Europe. France’s ROSI, the world’s first specialist solar recycling facility, plans to open in June 2023. This facility aims to extract and reuse 99% of panel components, including precious materials like silver and copper which are commonly the most difficult to recover.

Conventional recycling methods recover most aluminum and glass, but the quality of the recovered glass is not suitable for new panels which require high-grade glass. With the demand for solar panels predicted to boom in order to meet worldwide renewable energy targets, a potential 200 million tonnes of scrap panels will be produced globally by 2050 due to economic inefficiency towards the end of life period of older panels and the installment of replacements with newer designs.

France leads in processing photovoltaic waste, while ROSI’s advanced plant in Grenoble disassembles panels to recover valuable materials. Recovering these materials efficiently is crucial, as they hold significant value to accelerate the production of new solar panels. The goal is to recover three-quarters of the materials needed for new panels, including scarce resources like silver.

ROSI stands out as the only company with an industrial-scale recycling operation. However, the technology is costly and cheaper methods like crushing or shredding waste are more common. Despite being in the early stages, solar panel recycling holds great potential for both the recovery of scarce materials and the acceleration of production.