The American recycling company Solarcycle, Inc. has produced a solar module that is made from 50 percent recycled glass from end-of-life solar modules. The module was developed in collaboration with the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University (ASU). According to Solarcycle, modules made from recycled solar glass perform just as well as modules made from conventional materials.
ASU researcher Kate Fisher produced mini-modules from commercially available new glass and test mini-modules from a 50/50 mixture of new material and recycled glass fragments from disused solar modules. The latter were processed using Solarcycle’s recycling technology. The result was that the modules made from recycled glass performed just as well as those made from new glass, according to a statement from Solarcycle.
Solarcycle plans to build a solar glass factory next to its recycling plant in Cedartown, Georgia. According to the company, it will be the first to use recycled cullet as a raw material.
© PHOTON
