New PV recycling partner

What happens to PV modules when they have reached the end of their life? The good news is that almost all components of a PV module can be recovered and reused today. This is made possible by a specialised recycling process like that of our new partner ROSI Solar.

The cycle is picking up speed

Photovoltaic modules have a service life of 20 to 30 years. However, even the most robust solar technology eventually reaches the end of its use. With the rapid expansion of solar energy in Switzerland, a new challenge comes into focus: what happens to the modules when they need to be replaced?

Since 2013, SENS eRecycling has been collecting and recycling photovoltaic modules in Switzerland thanks to the industry solution with Swissolar. The solar panels have so far been processed by the partner KWB Planreal AG. In light of the future increases in dismantling volumes, an additional recycling partner has been sought.

ROSI is a young, technologically leading company from France with its first major plant in Saint-Honoré, near the Swiss border. The company retrieves not only conventional recyclable materials such as glass and aluminium from disused solar modules, but also those components that have previously been recycled only with great effort – such as silicon and silver. 

Focus on recyclable materials

In contrast to many other electrical or electronic appliances, the recycling of solar modules does not focus on hazardous substances. Most of the substances contained in PV modules are not harmful. What is crucial is the targeted handling of the raw materials used, as these are valuable and available in large quantities. 

Crystalline silicon modules account for the majority of PV modules in Switzerland. They are made of around 90 per cent glass. The other layers consist of silicon wafers, composite films, metals and sometimes a film on the back.

State-of-the-art recycling process

Returns are handled throughout Switzerland via the established SENS system. At ROSI, the delivered modules are processed mechanically and thermally. The aluminium frame is removed and the encapsulant layers are converted into gas in a controlled pyrolysis process – efficiently and without harmful emissions. The energy thus generated can be used in the process. 

In the next step, glass, copper wires and PV cells are separated from each other. A chemical separation process performs the most demanding task: specially developed mild solvents are used to extract the silver from the silicon without damaging the crystal structure of the cells. The result is high-purity silicon that can be reused in the solar industry or for other semiconductor applications. Moreover, silver with a purity of 90 per cent is extracted, which is then used in the electronics and jewellery industries, for instance.

Big step in the recycling of Swiss PV modules

ROSI is an innovative new partner that has joined the SENS recycling system, enabling us to advance the take-back and recycling of solar modules even further. At the same time, the partnership ensures that Switzerland is well-equipped for the increasing amounts of decommissioned solar systems.