A Proactive Approach to the Recovery
and Recycling of Photovoltaic Modules

PV MODULE RECYCLING IS LIMITED

With an ever-increasing number of installations, there is an equally growing challenge - the environmental impact of limited PV module recycling.

The APOLLO project addresses a critical challenge in the photovoltaic (PV) industry: the global PV waste is projected to rise from 400,000 tonnes in 2020 to 5.5 million tonnes annually by 2050.

Key Issues

Recycling limited to basic materials (aluminum, contaminated glass).

Silicon (40% of module cost) largely wasted due to contamination.

Only basic materials like aluminum and glass are recovered, while silicon—40% of the module’s cost—is wasted. APOLLO aims to transform this and recover lost silicon.

5 KEY PROCESSES

Material recovery from 18% to 93%

It all starts with PV waste—sorting, extraction, refining, reusing, and tracing materials with blockchain-based transparency.
This will increase material recovery rates from 18% to an impressive 93%.

Pilot Line: will process and recycle 40 tonnes of PV waste, reclaiming materials for 1 tonne of silicon and 30 PV modules.

  • Waste categorised by glass composition enabling batc processing for high-quality glass recovery for PV.

  • 93% wt of all material types recovered through novel mechanical and sonification processes.

  • Recovered Si returned to ingots for re manufacture into new PV cells.

  • Si, glass, and tech-critical metals will be recovered and demonstrated in new PV modules.

  • Secure PV-centred blockchain digital Product Passport and a PV marketplace implemented.

VALUE CHAIN

A cost-effective system is being developed at the APOLLO Micro Factory to sort and extract valuable materials from end-of-life solar panels. In already existing facilities, 40 tonnes of PV waste will be processed to recover high-purity critical metals, glass, and silicon, followed by ingot growth and wafering. The processed components will be used in PV panel manufacturing to produce new solar panels for end users - creating a circular lifecycle for solar technology.

Key information

APOLLO project is funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme.​

APOLLO is an acronym for "A Proactive Approach to the Recovery and Recycling of Photovoltaic Modules,".

We are focused on revolutionizing recycling practices for Photovoltaic (PV) waste modules.

Objectives

Pre-recycling analysis and classification of PV modules by glass composition

Pilot processing line to extract all of the material fractions of legacy and future PVs

Refinement of reclaimed PV Si to facilitate ingot growth for new PV

Specify and build future PV modules (standard c-Si and tandem Per/Si) with improved recyclability incorporating APOLLO innovations

Develop and implement a PV-centred Digital Product Passport (DPP) facilitating an online marketplace

Develop, quantify and promote a new circular business model for waste PV

Milestones