SOREN

Their core work

SOREN is a French private company (SME) specializing in the collection, management, and processing of end-of-life photovoltaic (solar) panels. They participate in EU research consortia as an industry partner, contributing operational knowledge of real-world PV waste streams to projects focused on recovering critical raw materials such as indium, silicon, and silver from decommissioned solar modules. Their consistent presence across two successive EU Innovation Actions — from early material-specific recycling (CABRISS) to full photovoltaic waste management systems (PHOTORAMA) — indicates that solar panel end-of-life is their core business, not a peripheral research interest. For research consortia, they provide the industry-side credibility and access to actual waste flows that academic and technology partners cannot supply alone.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the 2015–2018 period, SOREN's work via CABRISS focused on material-specific recovery — extracting indium, silicon, and silver from decommissioned solar panels within a circular economy framework. By 2021–2025, their engagement in PHOTORAMA shifted toward systemic photovoltaic waste management and advanced recovery technologies for multiple secondary raw materials, reflecting both the maturing scale of solar panel decommissioning in Europe and growing EU policy pressure on critical raw material supply chains. The trajectory is a clear deepening and broadening within the same niche: from targeted material chemistry to full-lifecycle PV waste infrastructure.

SOREN is moving toward comprehensive photovoltaic waste management systems aligned with EU Critical Raw Materials regulation, making them an increasingly relevant partner as the first wave of large-scale solar installations reaches end-of-life across Europe.

How they like to work

SOREN participates exclusively as a consortium partner — they have never coordinated an H2020 project — which is consistent with an industry actor contributing operational expertise and access to real waste streams rather than driving the research agenda. Despite only two projects, they accumulated 29 unique partners across 10 countries, indicating they join large, multi-stakeholder consortia typical of Innovation Actions where industry participants validate and scale research findings. This pattern suggests they are valued as a practical industry anchor in consortia rather than a research leader.

SOREN has built connections with 29 distinct consortium partners across 10 countries through just two projects — an unusually broad network for such a small participation record, reflecting the large consortium structure of PV recycling Innovation Actions. Their network spans at minimum France and several other European countries, though no geographic concentration can be confirmed from the available data.

What sets them apart

SOREN occupies a rare niche as a French private SME with documented, repeated EU research engagement specifically in photovoltaic panel end-of-life management — a space that sits at the intersection of solar energy policy, circular economy regulation, and critical raw materials supply security. Very few private companies combine operational PV waste handling with active participation in EU-funded recovery technology projects, which makes SOREN a credible industry validator for academic and technology partners. For any consortium targeting the solar circular economy or CRM recovery from PV modules, SOREN offers direct access to real waste flows and the legitimacy of a regulated industry actor.

Highlights from their portfolio

• PHOTORAMA
  Their largest funded project (EUR 153,753), running through 2025, directly targets EU Critical Raw Materials priorities through advanced recovery technologies for end-of-life PV modules — placing SOREN at the center of one of Europe's most policy-relevant recycling challenges.
• CABRISS
  SOREN's earliest EU research engagement (2015–2018), establishing their credentials in PV circular economy by contributing to indium, silicon, and silver recovery from solar panels — materials that remain strategically critical for the EU.