Dr. Ian Marius Peters featured in video on solar module recycling
The recycling of old solar panels is a growing challenge. By 2050, approximately 21–35 million tons of PV waste are expected worldwide – the equivalent of around 3 billion modules! At the same time, these panels contain valuable materials that will need to be reused in order to sustain growing markets. These materials include glass, aluminum, silicon, silver and copper. Recently, Dr. Ian-Marius Peters from HI ERN was invited as an expert by the German TV show “Einfach Genial” (“Simply Ingenious”) to take a look at an innovative approach to the recycling of PV modules that was invented by the team at FLAXRES GmbH in Dresden. FLAXRES uses a proprietary technology based on ultra-bright light flashes (50,000–80,000 times brighter than the Sun!) to separate each module into its components within milliseconds.
Dr. Peters, who conducts research on sustainable photovoltaics, puts the innovation into scientific perspective. In the video, he discusses how the flash-lamp approach compares to existing mechanical, thermal and chemical recycling methods and to what extent it could become part of future, market-ready recycling systems.
Watch the full film here: Erfinder lösen das größte Problem der Solar-Technologie? | Einfach Genial – YouTube
You can watch the video here