Innovative technology for better recycling of photovoltaic panels

This technology can be used to treat glass/back-sheet panels i.e., panels assembled with glass on the front and polymer on the back. It uses a relatively simple and low-cost technique, namely abrasion, to gradually remove the different layers. The grinding process begins at the back of the photovoltaic solar panel, first removing the polymer sheet. These sheets usually contain fluorinated substances, which are separated from the rest of the materials to be recovered. The cells and encapsulant are then removed in their turn, until only the glass remains. This process collects powders, ribbons and intact glass plates whose quality meets the specifications of the glass industry for some applications.

The European EVERPV project has taken this a step further by designing and launching a pilot line at the premises of ENVIE 2E Aquitaine, a company that has already been recycling photovoltaic panels using another process for four years.

Since its start-up in July 2025, the ENVIE 2E pilot line has been a success, with more than 10,000 photovoltaic panels already processed, generating around 100 tons of glass, without residue, recycled in the form of cullet for the manufacture of float glass in Europe.

Several tons of powder have also been recovered. These powders contain polymers and metals used to make solar cells. Among these metals, silver is particularly valuable. It represents 20% of the purchase price of a photovoltaic panel and half of the economic value of the recovered materials. The metals (silicon, aluminum, silver and copper) can then be separated by combining simple physical processes such as screening with chemical processes using soft acidic and/or basic solvents.