Imagine if old solar panels were like LEGO sets that could be perfectly taken apart to reuse every single piece. Instead of just crushing the glass, this system uses smart tags and special cleaning methods to recover the precious silver and silicon inside. It turns a growing mountain of electronic waste into a goldmine of raw materials for new tech.
Current PV recycling only recovers low-value glass and aluminum, losing precious silicon, silver, and copper. This creates a waste crisis and a dependency on imported raw materials for the energy transition.
Two pilot recycling plants using thermal/chemical and waterjet delamination, and a digital product passport system using smart sensor tags.
If you are a plant operator dealing with the high cost of decommissioning old solar farms — this project developed digital product passports and non-destructive testing that help decide whether to repair or recycle panels to retain maximum value.
If you are a recycler dealing with low-value output from crushed glass — this project developed two pilot plants using thermal, chemical, and waterjet delamination to recover 70-90% of material fractions with high purity.
If you are a chip maker dealing with volatile raw material imports — this project developed a closed-loop system that provides high-quality secondary silicon and metals recovered from old PV modules.
The project aims to lower the costs of decommissioning PV plants and repair by implementing systematic collection and digital tools for better logistics and decision-making.
The project targets recycling throughputs of approximately 10,000 tonnes per year through the demonstration of two pilot recycling plants.
Based on available project data, specific licensing terms are not mentioned, but the project involves 17 industry partners in developing the recycling technologies and business models.
The project is active from September 1, 2023, and is scheduled to conclude by November 30, 2027.
Integration is achieved via digital product passports, smart sensor tags, and a digital twin system for product lifecycle information management.
The consortium is heavily industry-driven with 17 commercial partners (71% of the group), including 7 SMEs. This high ratio of industry players across 10 countries suggests a strong focus on commercial viability and market integration rather than pure academic research, as it includes the entire value chain from PV manufacturers to end-users of secondary materials.
Contact SINTEF AS in Norway for technical specifications on the delamination pilots.
Contact us to connect with the QUASAR consortium for secondary raw material sourcing.
