Recording of Monday, June 22, 2026 | The smarter E Europe Conferences 2026 | Language: English | Duration: 8:11 .

Solar Materials' Role in PV Recycling and the Importance of Efficiency

Solar Materials, based in Eastern Germany, has made significant strides in the photovoltaic (PV) recycling industry, employing around 70 staff and achieving a recycling capacity of 14,000 tons, which is expected to double by next year. The company faces challenges in balancing high throughput with material quality, crucial for effective recovery of valuable components like silver, which accounts for nearly half of the profit in recycling yet constitutes only 0.1% by mass. With approximately 100 million solar modules reaching end-of-life in Germany within the next five years, efficient recycling methods are vital, as every gigawatt of energy produced will necessitate future recycling. The recycling landscape categorizes processes into lab-scale, fast mechanical crushing, and medium throughput options, each with its own efficiency and quality challenges. High-quality recycling of materials like silver and glass is essential, as contaminated materials drastically reduce the quantity of usable raw material. Emerging opportunities include the recovery of silicon and recycled glass, which will present new market dynamics. The industry must navigate these new material streams while addressing challenges such as antimony in glass to ensure sustainable practices.

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Speaker

Lukas Braun
E&D Engineer
SOLAR MATERIALS GmbH
Germany

Talk of session: Sustainable Solar: How Policy Changes Impact ESG Practices in Solar System Design and Component Sourcing

Europe's solar market has lately been influenced by ESG and supply chain transparency. Yet shifting political priorities and tighter project budgets have been refocusing attention on feasibility and cost. How essential are sustainability criteria today? Considering supply security, raw material availability and circular economy principles, this session will explore how new EU regulations and market demands are reshaping ESG strategies in solar system design and the procurement of components.

Key topics:

• Updates on European ESG policy frameworks
• Forced labor regulation and transparency rules
• CBAM and carbon-related trade measures
• Sustainability strategies of manufacturers and offtakers
• Recycling and its implications for raw material costs

Further Talks of this session:

Strategies in PV Manufacturing for Solar Sustainablity in a Changing Market Environment

Speaker

Mario Quintana Aroca
ESG Manager Europe
JinkoSolar
China

To Talk

IEA-PVPS Task 12: Life Cycle Inventories and Analysis of PV Systems

Speaker

Matthias Stucki
Head of LCA Research Group
ZHAW - University of Applied Sciences Zurich
Switzerland

To Talk

Q&A

To Talk