As such, it is one of the fastest growing economic sectors, following an exponential growth curve since 1992 until now. Projections for photovoltaic growth are difficult and burdened with many uncertainties, and official agencies, such as the International Energy Agency, consistently increased their estimates over the years, still falling short of actual deployment.
Recycling is hardly considered during module production, and therefore still cumbersome and inefficient. Therefore, it is necessary to design modules for end-of-life recycling to allow recovery and recycling of all components, which will result in a much more efficient method for harvesting and especially reusing secondary raw materials, in addition to sustainable improvements in each process step in the solar photovoltaic value chain.
Expertises in SINTEF
- Repairable module design
- Recyclable module design
- Diagnostics and monitoring
- Circular economy