Imagine your old solar panels and batteries getting a second career instead of ending up in a landfill. CIRCUSOL figured out how to refurbish and reuse solar panels and batteries — think of it like certified pre-owned cars, but for energy equipment. They tested this at five real sites across France, Belgium, and Switzerland, proving it actually works and people want it. The big idea: instead of selling panels once, offer solar power as a service — you keep ownership, maintain quality, and when equipment ages out, you give it a second life somewhere else.
Europe will face 8 million tons of end-of-life solar panels by 2030, and today most of them head straight to recycling or landfill — destroying value that could be captured through refurbishment and reuse. Solar companies sell panels once and lose control of the asset, missing recurring revenue from service models and second-life applications. There is no widely adopted certification or business model for giving used PV panels and batteries a profitable second life.
CIRCUSOL built and operated four demonstrator systems: a second-life PV and battery system for micro-eMobility charging hubs, a second-life battery system at Cloverleaf, a second-life solar system with distribution network software and user feedback tools at Waasland co-housing, and a village-level scaling validation. Beyond hardware, they delivered market-validated product-service-system business models, second-life PV/battery labelling and certification protocols, cost/application analysis, and an information-sharing ICT platform — totaling 23 deliverables.
If you are a solar installer or leasing company dealing with aging panels coming off first contracts — this project developed validated product-service system business models and second-life certification protocols that let you refurbish and redeploy old PV panels instead of scrapping them. Five large-scale demonstrators across 3 countries proved market acceptance in residential, commercial, and utility segments.
If you are an e-mobility or storage company struggling with battery costs — this project built and operated second-life battery systems for micro-eMobility charging hubs and commercial buildings. The Cloverleaf and charging hub demonstrators proved that repurposed batteries can serve commercial applications reliably, cutting your hardware costs while extending battery value chains.
If you are a recycler facing the wave of 8 million tons of PV panels expected by 2030 — this project created labelling and certification protocols for second-life PV and batteries, plus cost and application analysis. This gives you a higher-value alternative to raw material recovery: certified refurbishment before recycling, capturing more value per panel.
The project did not publish specific per-unit costs. However, CIRCUSOL delivered cost and application analysis for second-life PV and battery systems across residential, commercial, and utility segments. Contact the consortium for detailed pricing data from their 5 demonstrator sites.
CIRCUSOL specifically tested scaling at village level (validated in their Waasland co-housing demo) and across 3 market segments: residential, commercial, and utility. With 5 large-scale demonstrators in 3 countries and 18 consortium partners, the models were designed for replication across Europe.
CIRCUSOL delivered market-validated PSS business models, second-life labelling and certification protocols, and an info-sharing ICT platform. As an Innovation Action with strong industry participation (12 industry partners, 9 SMEs), exploitation was a core goal. Contact the coordinator at VITO (Belgium) for licensing terms.
CIRCUSOL explicitly produced evidence-based knowledge for policy makers on circular economy implementation. The EU's growing focus on waste electronics and circular economy regulation aligns with these results. The certification protocols developed could become industry standards.
The project ran from 2018 to 2022, with operational demonstrators deployed and validated. The business models and certification protocols are ready for adoption. Based on available project data, the village-level scaling validation suggests deployment timelines of months, not years, for companies with existing solar operations.
Four operational demo systems were delivered: a second-life PV and battery system for micro-eMobility charging hubs, a second-life battery system at Cloverleaf, a second-life solar system with distribution network software at Waasland co-housing, and a village-level scaling validation. All were installed and confirmed operational.
The consortium includes 12 industry partners and 9 SMEs across 7 countries (BE, CH, DE, ES, FR, LT, SE), coordinated by VITO, a major Belgian research organization. With a 67% industry ratio, the consortium was built for commercial exploitation, not just research.
This is a commercially oriented consortium with 18 partners across 7 countries, and a strong 67% industry ratio (12 industry partners out of 18). Nine partners are SMEs, signaling that smaller, agile companies — not just large corporates — were involved in developing and testing these models. The coordinator, VITO (Belgium), is a major applied research organization known for bridging science and industry. With only 2 universities versus 12 industry players and 3 research institutes, this consortium was clearly built to produce deployable business solutions, not academic papers. The geographic spread (BE, CH, DE, ES, FR, LT, SE) covers major European solar markets, supporting the replication strategy mentioned in the project objectives.
VITO (Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek), Belgium — a leading applied research organization. Search for CIRCUSOL project lead at VITO for direct contact.
Want the full business brief with coordinator contact details and implementation roadmap? SciTransfer connects you directly with the CIRCUSOL team — contact us for a tailored introduction.
