Recycling & assessment of environmental & financial costs of PV

Recycling end-of-life solar cell and module materials is critical for the transition to a closed-loop renewable economy. Our work develops practical processing technologies for a robust solar panel recycling infrastructure to be established, to allow for the recovery of valuable materials from used panels, and so reducing unsustainable waste disposal.

Solar power is one of the world’s leading ways to reduce climate change, with immense environmental and financial benefits to be maximised. In our work, we assess and moderate the environmental and financial costs of manufacturing, operating and end-of-life cycling of solar PV materials, especially of silicon wafer solar cells and modules. Our collective expertise further encompasses application of life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) assessment tools.