Parallel Events Programme

Solar energy plays a major role in the renewable energy mix. Even though the lifetime of PV modules is quite long and they remain in operation for up to 30 years, they will have to be disposed of at some point and, in the best case, recycled.

Already today, different processes and concepts for the recycling of discarded PV modules are in use. However, due to the insufficient standardization of recycling processes for PV modules, the full potential of recycling cannot be exploited. This issue is addressed by the German publicly funded project "ReSi-Norm – Standardization of Recycling Processes for Silicon Solar Modules". A holistic approach for solar module recycling is being realized in the project, which covers all factors for standardization along the entire materials cycle. The development of standardization proposals is intended to support the standardization processes at national and especially European level.

During this workshop, the partners of the project ReSi-Norm will give an overview of the current state-of-the-art in PV recycling and present the results of the experiments on different recycling processes done in the project. Furthermore, gaps in current standards and how to address them will be discussed with the audience.