Photovoltaic systems have gained worldwide recognition in recent years as an environmental friendly way of solving energy issues. However, the problem of recycling spent photovoltaic systems, the quantities of which will increase rapidly in the future, is yet to be solved. As module deployment expands rapidly, so will module waste Si- solar modules including mono-Si modules and multi-Si modules have always been the dominant technology with a ~90% market share. The International Renewable Energy Agency estimates that waste modules will appear in large quantities by the early 2030’s and by 2050, they will be total of 78 million tonnes. Therefore, a process is needed to take care of these end-of-life Si solar modules.

C-MET, Hyderabad laboratory, as a part of CoE mission has initiated R&D activity to develop commercially sustainable recycling technology for end of life silicon solar modules to recover various metals including toxic and valuable materials.