PV Cycle advised that as of early October, it had collected its first 1,020 tonnes of end-of-life modules for recycling since the program began in June 2010. PV Cycle processes PV modules disposed of in any EU country, Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland. The company also noted that its Individual System has collected and processed an additional 1,900 tonnes in the same time period.
The organization acknowledged that 45% of the PV modules it collected over the time period specified have come from Germany, followed by Spain, Italy, Poland, Belgium and France. Silicon-based PV modules have seen the highest yield for recycling coming from Germany, followed by Belgium and Spain with non-Silicon based PV modules collected for recycling led by Germany and Belgium.
“Collecting the first 1,020 tonnes marks a very important milestone for PV Cycle in particular and for the entire European photovoltaic industry in general,” explains PV Cycle’s managing director Jan Clyncke. “Having a product-lifespan of over 30 years we expect significant volumes of end-of life photovoltaic modules entering the system in the coming years. The work being done today and the success of the system so far is the best guarantee for the entire PV value-chain to be able to adequately process any modules disposed of in the near future.’’
The PV Cycle program is free of charge and financed through manufacturers and importers. It is open to anyone that chooses to dispose of PV modules from one of the company’s member brands with special conditions applicable for non-member modules that are brought forward for recycling.
