Solar panel glass recycling hits breakthrough milestone
A major step in solar recycling: 75 tons of panel glass transformed into flat glass in a groundbreaking pilot.
Published on March 5, 2025
© Maltha Glass Recycling
Team IO+ selects and features the most important news stories on innovation and technology, carefully curated by our editors.
In a collaborative effort with Saint-Gobain, Dutch company Maltha Glass Recycling has hit a milestone by recycling 75 tons of solar panel glass into flat glass. As solar energy becomes increasingly vital in carbon reduction efforts, the need for efficient recycling solutions intensifies. The pilot is part of the Photorama project, uniting 13 European partners focusing on recapturing valuable materials from panels for reuse in new manufacturing.
The solar energy sector faces unprecedented growth, with global solar electricity generation capacity projected to expand from 476 GW in 2018 to 2840 GW by 2030, reaching 8519 GW by 2050. This exponential growth creates an urgent need for effective recycling solutions. Maltha Glass Recycling, a joint venture between Renewi and Owens-Illinois, currently processes 1.2 million tons of used glass annually from various sources. The company's expertise in glass recycling positions it strategically to address the emerging challenge of solar panel waste management.
Innovation in solar panels recycling
The Photorama project (PHOtovoltaic waste management – advanced Technologies for recOvery & recycling of secondary RAw MAterials from end-of-life modules) represents a significant advancement in solar panel recycling technology. The initiative focuses on developing high-precision recovery methods, targeting material purity levels of 98-99.99% for critical raw materials including silicon, silver, indium, and gallium.
The project implements an automated disassembly system and smart separation techniques, ensuring efficient recovery of valuable components. This systematic approach enables the direct recovery of materials either as energy fuel or as raw material feedstock for new solar panels and other products.
“This successful pilot demonstrates the incredible potential of solar panel recycling,” said Kevin Bell, Managing Director of Maltha Group. “We are proud to work alongside Saint-Gobain and other partners to take concrete steps towards a circular economy. By turning end-of-life solar panels into valuable materials for flat glass production, we are proving that sustainable solutions exist for this critical component of the energy transition”.
