RESCUE research project: Fraunhofer CSP and Solar Materials aim to improve module recycling

In the joint research project »RESCUE - Efficient Recycling of Solar Modules through Computer- and Data-driven Process Optimization«, the Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics CSP in Halle (Saale), Germany, and Solar Materials GmbH, founded in 2021, are working to improve module recycling.
The Magdeburg-based startup has been operating a pilot line to recycle solar modules since the beginning of the year. The CSP, in turn, has built up a database with currently around 150 samples of different modules, which should enable Solar Materials to estimate the pollutant and silver yield of the modules in advance and thus adjust the recycling process and the prices for its service. For this purpose, automatic identification of the nameplates is carried out at the beginning of the process. In September, Solar Materials began construction of a large-scale recycling line at its Magdeburg site. The CSP has announced that it will steadily add to the module database – after all, well over 10,000 module types have come onto the market in recent decades.
RESCUE is funded by the German state of Saxony-Anhalt and the European Union.
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