Introduction of the session PV Recycling - Regulations, Best Practice and Available Recycling Processes

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Recording of Thursday, May 08, 2025 | The smarter E Europe 2025 | Exhibition Program | Language: English | Duration: 2:56 .

Intersolar Forum Session Highlights Urgent Need for PV Recycling as 70 Million Tons of Waste Looms by 2050

The Intersolar Forum is hosting a session on PV recycling, an increasingly critical topic as many photovoltaic (PV) installations reach the end of their 25-year lifespan. Sangeeta Suresh from EUPD Research introduces this session, emphasizing its importance due to projections by IRENA that suggest around 70 million tons of PV waste could accumulate in landfills by 2050 if not properly managed. The discussion will focus on regulations, best practices, and available processes for recycling these panels. Mr. Jan Clyncke, Managing Director of PV CYCLE, leads the presentation titled "State of Play," which addresses current strategies for reusing and recycling solar panels effectively. This initiative underscores the urgent need to address environmental impacts associated with outdated solar technology through innovative solutions and sustainable practices within the industry.

Automated summarization by AI Conver

20 years or so after the first solar boom in Germany and Europe, the industry is looking how to deal with the growing number of used modules. Despite the ramp-up of PV recycling, there are still some unknowns: What are the obligations and responsibilities when it comes to PV recycling? What will happen to PV modules at the end of their service life? What practicable and sustainable solutions are there, and how can raw materials be recovered?This sessions will be providing an overview of the legal and regulatory framework conditions governing PV recycling in Europe. It will show the role that module manufacturers, wholesalers and project developers play in the end-of-life management of PV modules. This will be followed by two recycling companies presenting the state of the art of their respective recycling method and its business case.

Further Talks of this session:

Speaker

Jan Clyncke
Managing Director
PV CYCLE

To Talk

Speaker

Karsten Wambach
R&D consultant
on behalf of Reiling

To Talk

Speaker

Fridolin Franke
Business Development, Operations & Finance
Solar Materials

To Talk

Video is not available.

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