Dynamic assessment of photovoltaic waste streams in the EU-27 countries under the circular economy principles of ‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle’

Abstract

As the European Union (EU) has increased its targets for renewable energy development to 42.5 % by 2030, a much larger amount of photovoltaic (PV) waste is expected, that needs to be managed efficiently under circular economy (CE) strategies. This work provides quantitative estimations of PV waste flows under the CE paradigm of "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle". ‘Reduction’ is regarded by the changing composition of modules. The ‘Reuse’ stream only includes panels requiring ‘very light’ repair. Recycling is estimated under 2 scenarios, with and without reuse flow. A dynamic material flow analysis under three lifetime scenarios and a dynamic share of technologies is considered. By 2050, 21-35 MT will accumulate. If all waste is diverted to recycling, the gross value of recovered materials will reach €32-47 billion by 2050. As the EU intends to boost PV manufacturing by 2030, the materials amassed can cover a significant part of the required resources.