The Magdeburg start-up Solar Materials has developed an innovative process for recycling solar modules. Now the founders are making plans for their technology to be used worldwide.

The question of suitable locations for photovoltaic systems, which can include garden buildings, houses, offices and factories, is of interest to both home-owners and businesses.

By contrast, the founders of the start-up Solar Materials are involved with the other end of the process. “The average life cycle of a photovoltaic module is between 25 and 30 years. The first solar panels from the early 2000s will soon be coming to the end of their life. Initially, we were surprised that no one had really thought about what would happen to the modules after they had been taken out of use. So we developed a recycling plant to create a circular economy for raw materials in the solar industry,” said Fridolin Franke, one of the three founders of the company.

Echtzeit - Online Magazin - Recycling for the future