Solar module recycling company Solarcycle has secured US$30 million in Series A funding to increase its solar panel recycling capacity and expand materials re-manufacturing capabilities.
The state government of Queensland has issued a draft proposal to ban the dumping of solar modules in landfill, instead encouraging a recycling programme to repurpose the materials.
JinkoSolar has developed a process via which 92% of the materials which make up a solar panel can be recycled, including cells, front glass, back sheet, aluminium frame, copper wire, encapsulation material and junction box.
The European Commission has approved Romania’s €259 million scheme to support investments in the production, assembly and recycling of batteries, PV cells and solar panels.
The shingled panel adopts Thermal Laser Separation (TLS) technology, with the cell cut into several strips and interconnected using conductive adhesive to achieve flexible connection. This optimizes the panel structure, enabling zero cell spacing, which effectively increases the panel’s light-receiving area.
With solar increasingly establishing itself as the leading source of green energy, the focus is shifting towards the sustainable nature of the equipment and materials used to produce solar modules and the modes of transport chosen to deliver the modules to their ultimate destination. The concept of “product carbon footprint” is key in this regard.
Following months of discussion and encouragement from the European solar industry, the EU has announced a multi-pronged scheme to drive renewable energy and clean technology development, with the aim of putting the European market at the forefront of the global energy transition.
