Disassembly of the photovoltaic panel frame

What is a solar module disassembly line?

Developed by Japanese PV equipment provider NPC Incorporated, the solar module disassembly line is claimed to enable the reuse of frames, junction boxes, intact broken glass, solar cells and EVA sheets. The module disassembyl line. Image: NPC Incorporated

How does envie use disassembly equipment to dismantle PV panels?

“Envie will utilize our disassembly equipment to dismantle PV panels and then cooperate with Rosi, a French company that developed recycling processes allowing to separate and recover metals such as silver and high purity silicon from the PV cells,” it further explained.

How c-Si PV modules are recycled?

A complete and high-value recycling process of c-Si PV modules involves disassembly (aluminium frame, junction box [J-box] with copper cables); delamination; and further processing to recover silicon and valuable metals, such as copper and silver, among others (Deng et al. 2022).

What is the difference between upcycling and downcycling of PV panels?

Currently, the recycling of PV panels is divided into upcycling and downcycling. In the downcycling process, only the aluminum frame, glass, junction box, and cables are recycled, while the rest is landfilled. Upcycling, on the other hand, involves the recycling of all materials of the PV panel.

What is material recycling of photovoltaic panels?

Material recycling of photovoltaic panels is a crucial step in the entire lifecycle of the photovoltaic industry. Currently, the recycling of PV panels is divided into upcycling and downcycling. In the downcycling process, only the aluminum frame, glass, junction box, and cables are recycled, while the rest is landfilled.

What happens if PV panels are improperly disposed?

Improper disposal can result in soil and water contamination (Bang et al., 2018), harming the biosphere (Zhang et al., 2023), while the polymers in PV panels release toxic gases (Rathore and Panwar, 2022).