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LIBRARY · OPEN KNOWLEDGE

Understand to close the loop.

Regulation, research and criteria for deciding your panels’ next cycle.

Original sources · Open access

OBSERVATORY · SOLAR RECYCLING

Radar Solar Circular

EVIDENCE FOR DECISIONS

· Approx. 3 min read

Waste does not finance infrastructure by itself

Two developments published since the previous edition show the same problem from opposite sides. Alberta launched a collection system funded by a fee on each panel, while Germany warns that installed stock does not guarantee an immediate feedstock flow for recycling plants. For Chile, the key decision is to design financing, returns and capacity as one system.

Financing and collection · Alberta

Alberta activates a CAD 14 fee per panel to fund its programme

Operational launch: 1 Oct 2026 · Fee: CAD 14 per panel ≥ 1 m²

What changed · Evidence

The Alberta Recycling Management Authority states that the programme began on 1 October 2026. Suppliers must report and remit a CAD 14 environmental fee for panels measuring one square metre or more. The scope covers crystalline-silicon and thin-film technologies used in residential, commercial, industrial and utility applications. The same source schedules stakeholder engagement on reuse and investment partnerships for local capacity from 2027, so those two stages remain plans rather than operating results.

Why it matters · Editorial interpretation

The development is not just the fee. Alberta separates three functions that are often confused: raising funds, collecting panels and developing treatment capacity. The programme launch tests the financial and logistics architecture, but does not yet demonstrate recycling yields or sufficient local infrastructure. For Chile, the case is a design reference, not a transferable fee or an interpretation of national regulation.

What to review · General recommendation

For any Chilean scheme, model separately who pays, when funds enter, who receives the panel and which facility treats it. Estimate cost per unit and per tonne, including storage, transport, sorting and rejects. Do not commit fixed capacity using sales or installed-stock projections alone; link each stage to contracted, traceable volumes.

Capacity planning · Germany

Germany projects more than 600,000 tonnes by 2030, while returns decline

Report: 29 Sep 2026 · Projection horizon: 2030

What changed · Evidence

The report published on 29 September estimates that Germany had installed about 5.35 million tonnes of modules by 2023 and projects more than 600,000 tonnes of PV waste by 2030. At the same time, the amount actually collected fell between 2022 and 2024, possibly because of longer service lives or exports of used modules. For crystalline-silicon modules, the study identifies only two German plants operating at industrial scale and reports about 85% material recycling and more than 95% recovery for the processes reviewed. These are German system data, not guaranteed performance for another plant or country.

Why it matters · Editorial interpretation

The critical figure is the gap between inventory and returns. A lifetime-based projection can justify preparation, but not an oversized line when contracts, logistics routes and control over exports or second-life channels are missing. For Chilean projects, the central risk is financing capacity before securing sufficient and regular feedstock.

What to review · General recommendation

Build three return scenarios rather than one curve: conservative, base and accelerated. In each, separate early failures, repowering, end of life, reuse and exports. Compare identified modules, scheduled removals, received tonnes and accepted tonnes by technology each month; use that gap to release capacity in stages.

DERA/BGR · Rohstoffinformationen 68
Published: Download study

Published by Solar Recycling (SR). Recommendations require project-specific assessment; they do not establish SR capabilities or replace technical or regulatory review.

Editorial archive

28 September 2026 · Recovered silver needs a specification, not just a recovery rate

· Approx. 3 min read

Recovered silver needs a specification, not just a recovery rate

A signal for asset owners, operators, mining companies and sustainability teams in Chile: circular value emerges when a recovered material meets a demonstrable function and specification. This edition reviews a study published since the previous Radar and separates the experimental result from its potential industrial application.

Material recovery · South Korea

Silver from end-of-life modules operates for more than 600 hours as a catalyst

Article: 16 Sep 2026 · Test: 10 cm² cell

What changed · Evidence

The paper published on 16 September in the Journal of CO2 Utilization describes approximately 99.9%-pure silver recovered from end-of-life silicon modules. After mechanical separation, thermal and hydrometallurgical treatment, and laser-assisted reduction, the material was used in a gas-diffusion electrode. In a 10 cm² electrolyser cell, the electrode operated for more than 600 hours at 100 mA/cm²; it also ran for 55 hours at 200 mA/cm² with carbon-monoxide selectivity of about 95%. These figures describe catalyst testing, not the overall performance of a recycling plant.

Why it matters · Editorial interpretation

The relevant shift is not only recovering silver, but demonstrating a downstream technical application. For Chilean projects, this reinforces a key distinction: recovered mass, achieved purity and performance in the next use are different metrics. The study does not establish costs, scalability, a full-module mass balance or commercial demand for the product; it is therefore a technology signal, not a direct design or investment benchmark.

What to review · General recommendation

When assessing a recovery route, request an output specification for each material, the test method and the intended destination. Require every rate to state its calculation basis and separate laboratory results from operating data. For project traceability, connect each input batch to samples, analytical certificates, by-products and the final recipient; this general recommendation requires project-specific technical and regulatory validation.

Journal of CO2 Utilization · Elsevier
Published: Read paper

Published by Solar Recycling (SR). Recommendations require project-specific assessment; they do not establish SR capabilities or replace technical or regulatory review.

14 September 2026 · From retired panel to marketable material

· Approx. 3 min read

From retired panel to marketable material

An industrial signal for asset owners, operators and mining companies in Chile: assess the material’s destination, not just panel collection. This edition selects one development from 7–14 September and a review tool based on earlier technical evidence, clearly identified as background.

Material recovery · United States

Texas: integrated solar material recovery announced for 2027

Announcement: 9 Sep 2026 · Planned opening: Q3 2027

What changed · Evidence

On 9 September, We Recycle Solar announced a facility near Dallas, scheduled to open in the third quarter of 2027. Its release proposes recovering silver, copper, silicon, aluminium and glass for sale without further overseas processing. The available evidence is a company announcement: it does not demonstrate the future plant’s performance.

Why it matters · Editorial interpretation

The relevant signal for Chile is not to copy a US plant, but to examine where each treatment route actually ends. Comparing offers requires distinguishing collection, intermediate processing and a material accepted by a buyer. An expansion announcement is useful for technology monitoring; it does not establish current availability or justify transferring costs or yields to another country.

What to review · General recommendation

Before selecting a route, ask the bidder to identify which stages exist today and which depend on a future facility. Request the intended destination of each fraction and assess available services separately from announced capabilities. Do not base a removal date on a future opening without considering an alternative.

We Recycle Solar · EIN Presswire
Published: Read release

Published by Solar Recycling (SR). Recommendations require project-specific assessment; they do not establish SR capabilities or replace technical or regulatory review.

7 September 2026 · Observatory technical selection

Content predating the Radar format. Original publication dates are retained.

Second life

Assess before reuse

The 2026 report reviews module repair, testing and sorting for second-life use.

Provides a technical basis for distinguishing reuse, repair and recycling. Safety and viability require case-specific assessment.

IEA PVPS · Task 13 ·

Material recovery

Recover quality, not just mass

New commercial and pilot-process data compare advances in material recovery and purity.

Supports evidence-based technology assessment. The report also identifies gaps in energy and material-quality data.

IEA PVPS · Task 12 ·

Circular economy

Measure the full life cycle

Updated life cycle inventories provide data to evaluate the environmental performance of photovoltaic systems.

Provides a basis for comparing environmental scenarios without attributing unmeasured impacts to SR.

IEA PVPS · Task 12 ·
01

Explore the sources

Primary regulation and evidence, organised for quick reference.

01MMA · Diario Oficial

Decree No. 22 of 2025: batteries and electrical and electronic equipment targets

Published on 7 May 2026. Article 25 sets specific photovoltaic panel targets; Article 26 defines their calculation.

02Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional

Law 20.920: extended producer responsibility

Chile’s framework for waste prevention, recovery and the responsibilities of producers and waste managers.

03Ministerio del Medio Ambiente

Roadmap for a Circular Chile by 2040

A national vision for responsible resource use, waste reduction and a circular economy.

04IRENA · IEA PVPS · 2016

End-of-Life Management: Solar Photovoltaic Panels

Foundational research on PV waste, material recovery and management opportunities. Its projections date from 2016.

05IEA PVPS · Task 12

PV sustainability and life cycle assessment

Technical research on environmental impacts, circularity and end-of-life management of photovoltaic systems.

06Naciones Unidas

2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals

An international framework connecting energy, innovation, responsible consumption, climate and cooperation.

02

Three criteria for decision-making

A practical life-cycle view, from prevention to traceability.

01

Prevent and extend

Assess maintenance, repair and reuse before recycling, where module condition and safety allow.

02

Recover and reintegrate

Separate materials for their return to production. Recovering mass alone does not establish material quality.

03

Trace and measure

Document origin, quantities, treatment and destination. Assess life cycle impacts before claiming environmental benefits.

03

Direction towards the SDGs

These goals guide SR’s development. They describe our intended contribution, not certification or already verified impact.