AGC Glass Europe, a European leader in flat glass, and SOLAR MATERIALS, a German cleantech startup specializing in the innovative recycling of photovoltaic (PV) panels, have entered into a strategic partnership that will focus on integrating high-purity recycled flat glass (cullet) recovered from end-of-life solar panels into AGC Glass Europe’s float glass production process.
It will leverage AGC's extensive experience in glassmaking and SOLAR MATERIALS' patented, chemical-free recycling technology to advance circularity in the flat glass industry.
Cullet from end-of life solar panels: a valuable new resource
The use of flat glass cullet is a cornerstone of sustainable manufacturing: it requires up to 25% less energy for melting and reduces the need for virgin raw materials like sand and soda ash. As solar panels comprise approximately 70% glass, they represent a vital future resource for the flat glass industry in Europe.
SOLAR MATERIALS' technology boasts an impressive 98% recovery rate of a panel's total weight, ensuring that materials like glass, aluminum, silicon, and copper are efficiently returned to their respective value chains. This initiative not only secures an essential raw material for glass manufacturing but also drastically reduces the environmental footprint of both the solar and electronic waste management sectors in Europe.
The high-purity flat glass cullet produced by SOLAR MATERIALS' process represents a valuable new resource. Using one tonne of glass cullet as a secondary raw material in float glass production saves 1.2 tonnes of virgin raw materials and 0.7 tonnes of CO2. SOLAR MATERIALS' process enhances these savings even further.
Working together for a circular value chain for flat glass production
Through this partnership, both companies’ teams will co-develop the integration pathway into advanced float glass manufacturing. Continuous research and industrial pilots are designed to perfect this process, ensuring it upholds the superior quality and performance of all AGC products.
Thanks to this collaboration, AGC Glass Europe and SOLAR MATERIALS will recycle increasing volumes of end-of-life crystalline silicon solar panels. By diversifying its network of high-quality cullet and recycling partners, AGC is actively securing new sources of PV cullet to meet its ambitious decarbonization and recycled content goals, which is crucial for the production of its Low-Carbon Glass range.
This partnership is a significant step in expanding AGC's capacity to source recycled materials from across Europe, feeding its Recycled Glass program and float glass furnaces with high-quality. It marks another important milestone in AGC's commitment to creating a sustainable circular value chain for the flat glass industry, spanning the architectural, automotive, and solar sectors.
Dr. Marc Foguenne, Vice-President Sustainability at AGC Glass Europe, commented: We believe in supporting PV panel recycling startups like SOLAR MATERIALS that are developing innovative and diverse technologies. This is essential to collect, sort and treat the immense and growing volume of PV panel waste generated in Europe. When processed correctly, the resulting cullet is of exceptionally high purity and can be fed back into our float glass production in a fully circular model, creating new glass for buildings and automotive windshields, right here in Europe. This is a significant step in our journey towards our sustainability goals of cutting CO2 emissions and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
Dr. Jan-Philipp Mai, Co-Founder & CEO of SOLAR MATERIALS, stated: Our goal is to efficiently integrate our recycling solution into the European value chain. Since glass is the main weight fraction of solar panels, its reuse has a significant impact on recycling quotas and logistic costs. A strategic alliance with companies like AGC helps us to build competitive local value chains and speed up expansion in Europe by aligning material streams and locations. Thus, our flagship site in Magdeburg is the blueprint for a future European cooperation with AGC.”
source: agc-glass.eu
