Featured in Blooming roofs – 10-2020

Circular innovations

Slowly but surely, environmental concerns are making their way into mainstream thought throughout the PV industry. A look at recycling offers an example of this, with stakeholders trying to get ahead of the high volumes of end-of-life modules already on the horizon. pv magazine examines the technologies that will be needed, alongside policy and economic support, to keep the bulk of these modules out of landfill and ultimately to establish a circular economy for PV materials.
Mark Hutchins
By
Mark Hutchins
Image: Ministère de la Transition écologique

Frames, junction boxes and copper cabling are removed, manually or automatically, and the module is broken up in a shredding machine. The remaining materials are sorted mechanically: Glass, aluminum, and ferrous metals can be extracted this way, with the balance of silicon, metals, plastics and glass that cannot be separated making its way to landfill. …

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