As Europe prepares for rapidly growing volumes of end-of-life photovoltaic (PV) modules, the EVERPV project is developing innovative technologies to recover valuable materials from solar panels and return them to the economy. By improving recycling efficiency and material quality, the project is helping to build a more circular and sustainable European solar value chain.
A key innovation developed within EVERPV is CEA’s advanced sanding-based delamination technology, designed to separate the different layers of glass-backsheet photovoltaic modules. Unlike conventional recycling approaches that often result in mixed material streams, the process selectively removes individual layers, allowing the recovery of high-quality materials while minimising contamination.
The technology enables the recovery of valuable resources contained within end-of-life solar panels, including glass, silver, silicon, polymers, aluminium and copper. By preserving the quality of these materials during the recycling process, the approach opens new opportunities for their reintegration into industrial production chains, reducing the need for virgin raw materials and supporting Europe’s resource independence objectives.
Beyond delamination, EVERPV is advancing a complete recycling value chain through innovative purification and material recovery processes. Project partners are working on technologies that can transform recovered fractions into high-quality secondary raw materials suitable for new industrial applications. These developments demonstrate the potential for solar panels to become an important source of valuable resources rather than waste at the end of their operational lifetime.
Date:August 2026
