Key takeaways:
Won Kwang’s SolreBorn applies an on-site delamination approach that separates glass from PV modules, reducing logistics-related costs and emissions
Repowering projects are emerging as a growing source of PV modules requiring recycling, alongside storm damage and production rejects
A significant share of potential cost and CO₂ savings in on-site recycling models comes from reduced transportation requirements
Recycling is becoming increasingly important in the solar industry. In the past 2 years, several startups and even module manufacturers have invested in new technologies and innovative methods for recycling PV modules. Hail, storm damage, production rejects, power degradation, and the growing number of repowering projects are the sources of these recycling candidates.
Won Kwang S&T, a South-Korean company, has developed a recycling solution specifically designed for repowering projects. It is an on-site solar panel recycling system, called SolreBorn, that uses a patented method to delaminate glass from a de-framed module without breaking it. This is noteworthy, especially considering that several companies crush the de-framed modules with glass, yielding a mixed output of materials that then undergo various processes to extract powders or particulates of glass, silicon, and other materials.
SolreBorn employs an on-site recycling machine to pre-process panels, thereby reducing both the carbon footprint and logistics costs. It has a capacity of 2.5 tons per day and uses about 17% of its power from renewables. Operating in a semi-automated mode, SolreBorn consumes 35 kWh, with dimensions of 11.15 × 2.36 × 2.04 m, and a weight of 13 tons. According to the company, the materials recovered after recycling with SolreBorn are aluminum and glass with 100% purity, while further refining is required to retrieve silicon powder and copper with 98% and 99% purity, respectively. There is no mention of extracting silver, which typically accounts for the highest material value despite representing less than 0.5% of the total module weight, according to other recycling players.
The company cites an example of repowering a 14 MW plant in Nevada, equivalent to 70,000 panels rated at 200 W each. The recycling would involve transportation costs of $43,750 (assuming a hypothetical distance of 100 miles), emitting 28.3 tons of CO2. On the other hand, SolreBorn involves $6,750 in transportation costs and 4.37 tons of CO2 emissions. The reduced module transportation costs account for about 85% of the savings in this case study.