PV beats 1,000-tonne mark in photovoltaic recycling

Europe – PV Cycle has recycled 1,020 tonnes of end-of-life photovoltaic modules, with Germany the main contributor.

The solar panel recycling collective said that in addition to the modules recycled under its Collective Scheme, a further 1,900 tonnes had been collected and processed independently. PV Cycle added it was now ‘well prepared’ for larger module volumes.

Germany supplied 45% of modules, or 458 tonnes. Spain ranked second with 207 tonnes, followed by Italy (150 tonnes), Poland (92 tonnes), Belgium (71 tonnes) and France (43 tonnes).

A spokesperson for PV said that up to 98% of the photovoltaic modules supplied to the company had suffered damage during transport or installation, or were returned within a year of operation after experiencing technical failure.

In a statement, PV Cycle added: ‘For silicon-based PV modules, the current recycling partners with an environmentally sound treatment and the highest yields are based in Germany, Belgium and Spain; for non-silicon based PV modules the partners are based in Germany and Belgium.’

Modules collected by PV Cycle are taken to partner plants for reprocessing. The company’s free take-back and recycling service is based on more than 170 collection points established in more than 12 European countries, including smaller contributors such as the UK, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Greece.