On February 4-5, 2025, the ‘Solar Sustainability: Innovations in PV Recycling & Delamination Technologies’ workshop took place at Savoie Technolac in Le-Bourget-du-Lac, France. Organised by the EVERPV project, this scientific event brought together experts from academia and industry to explore the latest advancements in solar PV recycling and delamination technologies.
Sustainability in the solar PV industry depends on the effective recycling and recovery of materials from end-of-life solar PV panels. This workshop provided a comprehensive overview of state-of-the-art recycling technologies, highlighting innovations aimed at improving material recovery and supporting a circular economy for the solar industry.
EVERPV showcased the two delamination technologies it aims to improve: a grinding technology developed by CEA, and a thermo-mechanical process developed in collaboration with ENEA and 9-Tech. Roland Riva (CEA) and Pietrogiovanni Cerchier (9-Tech) presented these key innovations for the project.
In addition to insights from EVERPV, industry representatives and scientists presented practical solutions for solar PV recycling, demonstrating how these new technologies can be implemented on an industrial scale. Grégory Parlanti from Mondragon Assembly France, presented their disassembly line for end-of-life PV modules. Rémi Aninat from TNO, a Dutch applied scientific research organisation, introduced TNO’s laser-assisted delamination technology for silicon module recycling. Jan Bargel from SOLAR MATERIALS, the 2024 Gold European Solar Sustainability Award Winner, discussed their innovative recycling solution.
Pierre Tauzin showcased the delamination technology using the hot knife technique they use at Envie 2E Aquitaine. Guy Chichignoud from ROSI Solar explained ROSI’s pyrolysis delamination solution. Wolfram Palitzsch from LuxChemtech presented a delamination technique using diamond wire, optimised within the Photorama project. Grégory Lewis from Envie 2E Occitanie and Comet traitements detailed their dismantling process and the recycling and purification of materials.
A dedicated roundtable discussion focused on the management of end-of-life solar PV panels. Francesca Fattori (Erion), Jan Clyncke (PV CYCLE), and Nicolas Defrenne (SOREN) led discussions on policies, logistics, and the challenges of scaling up recycling efforts.
The event also featured presentations and a roundtable with sister projects on the valorisation of recovered materials and collaboration across research and innovation initiatives. Contributions came from Andreas Obst (Fraunhofer CSP & APOLLO), Fabrice Coustier (CEA & EVERPV), Francescantonio Della Rosa (SiPOW & FORESi), and Rune Søndenå (IFE & RETRIEVE).
The workshop welcomed students from Université Savoie Mont Blanc, who presented posters showcasing their research on solar PV sustainability. Finally, the event concluded with an exclusive site visit to CEA’s laboratories.
A big thank you to CEA and SolarPower Europe for organising this insightful event, as well as to all speakers and participants who contributed to the discussions. The workshop reinforced the importance of collaboration between research and innovation projects in scaling up solar PV recycling technologies.
