Pioneering new circular recycling solutions for solar panels

Solar PV accounted for three-quarters of new renewable energy additions in 2023, according to the IEA. However, with more than 100,000 tonnes of solar panels expected to be scrapped in Australia alone by 2035 and a general lack of feasible recycling solutions, keeping green energy green poses a significant challenge.

To this end, an international team of researchers led by RMIT University are collaborating to find solutions on how to recycle worn solar panels – recovering important metals such as copper, lead, silver, and tin – before using and commercialising the recovered resources.