Take off Talk: Waste to Watts: Navigating the Future of PV Recycling

Thanks to PV module's average lifetime of about thirty years, the solar industry in Europe has not yet been facing waste streams that would accelerate a proactive integration of circular economy principles.

However, the challenge is expected to become more pronounced, as the volume of photovoltaic waste is projected to substantially increase. Some forecasts indicate that the accumulated PV waste could reach up to 8 million metric by 2030 and as much as 60-70 million by 2050. To keep pace with the rising amount of PV module waste in Europe, an expansion of dedicated PV recycling capacity is needed, even before a significant surge in waste occurs around 2030.