Solar panel recycling the affordable, sustainable way
The EU-funded PHOTORAMA project’s efforts to improve photovoltaic (PV) panel recycling and raw material recovery has earned it the prestigious 2024 European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) Innovation Award. The award recognises outstanding EU-funded projects whose innovations contribute towards Europe’s clean energy transition. PHOTORAMA supports this transition by developing advanced technologies for a strong and reliable PV recycling system. Launched in 2021, it is creating a circular model for the reuse of materials such as glass, aluminium, copper, silver, indium and silicon from old solar panels. “Our project focuses on creating a sustainable future by promoting a circular economy model and establishing a robust market for secondary raw materials in Europe,” explains the PHOTORAMA team in a news item reporting their EUSEW triumph. “We are immensely proud to have our efforts in PV circularity acknowledged by experts and the public alike.”
Present achievements, future plans
So far, PHOTORAMA has completed some of the machines developed for the mechanical disassembly of end-of-life PV panels. When asked in a ‘PES’ interview about the challenge involved in removing the frames of various types of modules without damaging the glasses, Dr Wolfram Palitzsch of German project partner LuxChemTech replied: “The correct pre-treatment plays an enormous role in the following work steps. The innovative approach of our project is to achieve the highest possible purity of the respective materials used in a module after the recycling process. This happens through a kind of controlled dismantling. This means we are easily able to obtain highly clean glass from single glass modules or front and back glass from double glass modules.” The pilot units for mechanical and optical delamination of the PV panels are being installed at LuxChemTech’s facilities in Tangermünde for validation. The project’s innovative recovery process for silicon and silver based on leaching and subsequent electrowinning has also been optimised on a small scale and the two pilot units’ integrated engineering design has been finalised. The pilot units are currently under construction.
The thing about chemicals
Compared to other recycling methods, PHOTORAMA’s more sustainable approach promotes the regeneration of reagents, prevents waste and uses benign chemicals. The use of chemicals cannot be avoided in this process. “But,” explains Dr Ana Maria Martinez of Norwegian project partner SINTEF, “one can use chemicals with no or low environmental impact, and innovative processes allowing their complete regeneration.” Next on the agenda is the setting up of a fully operational pilot line. This will include all the steps needed for the management of end-of-life solar panels, namely the disassembly of external components, the smart separation of panels, and the recovery of valuable metals such as silicon, silver, indium and gallium. The plan is to put the pilot units together in a real-life industrial environment by the end of 2024. The project’s profitable and sustainable circular value chain contributes to a carbon-neutral PV industry in Europe. PHOTORAMA (PHOtovoltaic waste management – advanced Technologies for recOvery and recycling of secondary RAw MAterials from end-of-life modules) ends in 2025. For more information, please see: PHOTORAMA project website
Keywords
PHOTORAMA, photovoltaic, PV, solar panel, glass, silver, silicon, recycling, circular economy
