AGC Glass Europe has announced a partnership with the German start-up SOLAR MATERIALS, which specialises in recycling photovoltaic panels. The companies will jointly work on introducing high-purity cullet obtained from old solar panels into flat glass production.
Using cullet in glass manufacturing reduces energy consumption by 25% and decreases the need for primary raw materials such as sand and soda. Since approximately 70% of a solar panel’s weight consists of glass, this waste becomes an important source of secondary materials for the European glass industry.
The SOLAR MATERIALS technology enables up to 98% of panel materials — glass, aluminium, silicon and copper — to be returned to production chains. Using one tonne of such cullet replaces 1.2 tonnes of primary raw materials and reduces CO₂ emissions by 0.7 tonnes.
The cooperation between AGC Glass Europe and SOLAR MATERIALS will help increase the recycling volume of solar panels and strengthen AGC’s position in achieving its climate goals — reducing carbon emissions and gradually transitioning to low-carbon glass production.
“We support companies engaged in recycling photovoltaic panels, as this helps create fully closed glass production cycles in Europe,” said Dr Marc Foguen, Vice President for Sustainability at AGC Glass Europe.
Read more about the company’s environmental initiatives in the news: AGC plans to recycle photovoltaic panels for flat glass production in France.