Solar module return rate is close to 100 per cent
Almost all photovoltaic modules installed in Switzerland are recycled at the end of their service life. This is implemented by SENS eRecyling. The foundation, which is organised in the private sector, works together with a large network of providers.
Photovoltaic modules installed in Switzerland are almost all recycled at the end of their service life, informs SENS eRecycling in a press release. The foundation, which is organised in the private sector, relieves its partners at manufacturers and importers of the associated work. According to SENS eRecycling, this system benefits manufacturers, importers, homeowners and the environment.
The price of a solar system already includes an advance recycling fee. This is currently 40 francs per tonne, explains SENS eRecycling. However, the foundation itself currently spends around 440 francs per tonne on collection, transport and recycling. “The financing of the system only works because the current quantities of installed photovoltaic systems still significantly exceed the quantity of discarded material and thus the fund continues to accumulate from year to year,” the statement says. For 2035, SENS eRecycling expects to have to dispose of 70,000 tonnes of photovoltaic modules.
According to the foundation, the current quantities are too small to make recycling worthwhile for disposal companies in Switzerland. SENS eRecycling is therefore currently working with KWB Plan Real GmbH. The German company has the modules dismantled at a recycling plant near the Swiss border. Metals can be completely recycled, and the glass is used together with the silicon to produce glass wool. In this way, around three quarters of the raw materials can currently be returned to the cycle, according to SENS eRecycling.