At Eden, we truly care about the planet and so are constantly thinking ahead, looking for ways that we can do things innovatively to promote a more sustainable future.

One area we are particularly proud of is our partnership with SolRecycle, a dynamic UK start-up that’s revolutionising solar panel recycling. SolRecycle’s founder and CEO is the amazing Irina Boldurescu, who also happens to be one of Eden’s own in-house Engineers. I met with Irina to ask her all about SolRecycle and its ambitions – so inspiring!

SolRecycle’s mission is clear: to breathe new life into solar panels, recover valuable raw materials, and significantly reduce their environmental impact. But how exactly are they achieving this?

Irina’s passion lies at the intersection of sustainability and innovation. After years in the industry, she identified a critical gap: the absence of a circular economy for solar panels. Instead of being a renewable energy source, discarded panels often ended up as harmful waste. Driven by her commitment to the environment and a desire to make a difference, Irina founded SolRecycle.

Currently, the UK lacks a specialised solar panel recycling facility, and most companies transport panels abroad. Irina is on a mission to change this. She’s in the final stages of securing funding for a cutting-edge recycling plant in Greater Manchester. This facility will employ advanced processes to recover up to 95% of materials from each panel. Imagine high-quality raw materials like silicon, glass, silver, aluminium, and copper being returned to manufacturers as raw materials for new solar panels or other products. SolRecycle is collecting damaged/old solar panels and temporarily storing them at their recycling hubs until the plant is commissioned, which should happen within the next 12 months.

As the UK solar industry matures, now aiming for 50GW of installed solar capacity by 2030, we must recognise both the economic and sustainability opportunities tied to solar panel recycling. Consider these contrasting factors:

• SolarPower Europe’s Prediction: By 2030, raw materials recovered from solar panels could be worth approximately $450 million, potentially enabling the production of around 60 million new solar panels.
• The IRENA report states: Currently, a staggering 90% of solar panels end up in landfills.

This opportunity to transform waste into valuable resources must not slip through our fingers.

Al-Ammar and Alghamdi (2022) issued a challenge to the solar industry in their paper on Photovoltaic Panels End-of-Life Recycling:

1. Efficient Processes: Develop recycling methods that maximize material recovery.
2. Design for Disassembly: Create panels with recyclability in mind.
3. Stakeholder Collaboration: Work closely with manufacturers, recyclers, and policymakers to establish effective recycling infrastructure.
4. Circular Economy Principles: Let sustainability guide our practices.

While Solar Energy UK is actively involved in tackling this issue on our behalf, we believe that individual solar companies also play a crucial role in driving this agenda forward. And this is where Eden and SolRecycle comes in.

Despite the real challenges in recycling panels, we’re inspired by Irina and her team at SolRecycle. Their fresh, thorough, and capable approach gives us hope. We eagerly anticipate partnering with them as they tackle the recycling challenge head-on and create a pathway to a more sustainable future. SolRecycle envision a future powered by clean, sustainable energy where solar panels are not just a part of the solution, but where their life cycle is a model of responsibility. They see a world where:

• Recycling is accessible and efficient
• Innovation drives recovery rates
• Recycled materials fuel a sustainable future