Greece’s first solar panel recycling machine installed in Crete

Greek company Katheris said it installed the country’s first solar panel recycling machine. As one of few such endeavors in entire Southeastern Europe, the business move could contribute to the development of a lucrative market that would ease environmental and climate impact.

Repairing and recycling solar panels is limited, and landfilling is still a common practice throughout the world. Photovoltaic waste is expected to reach 4% to 14% of total electricity production capacity by 2030 and rise to as much as 60 to 80 million tons by 2050. Katheris, a recycling company based in Herakleion (Heraklion), the capital of Crete, Greece’s largest island, saw an opportunity in solar panel waste.

PV modules contain valuable materials, of which silver, crystalline silicon, aluminum and copper are the most valuable. There are also toxic heavy metals inside, a major environmental risk.

Before modular designs become standardized so panels can be dismantled easily, the development of a recycling market will likely remain slow. Landfilling is cheap when there are no strict regulations for such electronic waste, and recovering separate materials is costly.

Some recyclers just crush or pulverize the decommissioned or damaged photovoltaic devices. The material is then used for a different purpose. The value of separate raw materials is lost and the waste is downcycled rather than recycled or reused.

Solar panel recycling to prevent environmental devastation, save resources

Katheris said it has set up Greece’s first solar panel recycling machine. The company with 70 employees added it is evolving and expanding the range of materials that it handles and recovers.

“By recycling photovoltaic panels, we contribute to saving resources and preventing the devastating impact that the disposal of these materials can have on the environment,” the announcement reads.

Solutions other than landfilling necessary for billions of PV modules

There is some 2 TW of solar power systems installed in the world as the capacity has doubled in just two years. It means solutions are necessary for several billion PV modules that will reach the end of their operating life within 30 years.

Solar panel recycling is exceptionally important for the climate, and manufacturing expenses as well. Purifying silicon is an especially energy-intensive process, still largely conducted using fossil fuels, and the production of the remaining materials is comparable.

As for the rest of the region covered by Balkan Green Energy News, Romania is an important example with its solar panel industry grant program, as it includes funds for recycling activities.