Together with its project partners, PV CYCLE supports a number of Research & Development (R&D) activities in Europe.

Full Recovery End-of-Life Photovoltaic (FRELP)

CLOSED

Funded by the EU’s LIFE+ Programme, FRELP investigates different PV recycling approaches to increase today’s average recycling quote to 100% and reduce the overall energy consumption of a PV module.

FRELP tests and develops treatment methods that can enable high-value recovery of glass, silicon, metals, and energy from the EVA laminate.

Photovoltaic Panels Mobile Recycling Device (PV Morede)

CLOSED

Funded by the 2012 Eco Innovation Programme, PV Morede researches into the development and industrialization of a patented mobile recycling device.

Compared with other industrial waste systems, PV Morede is able of treating PV modules directly where they are installed, allowing a cost-effective and easily accessible waste treatment for small quantities of PV panels.

Cradle-to-cradle Sustainable PV modules (CU-PV)

CLOSED

CU-PV is a pan-European R&D project under the European Union’s FP7 Programme. With the goal of improving the environmental profile of silicon based PV modules, the CU-PV partners investigate the reduction of silver and lead in PV, ways to eco-design and high-value end-of-life treatment.

Bringing research, production and waste treatment partners to this project, CU-PV covers the entire life cycle of a silicon based PV module.

ReSolar

CLOSED

Working on optimizing the performance in PV module recycling, ReSolar researches into improved collection and recycling by improving communication and alignment between waste recyclers and material processors. ReSolar is a joint initiative of 10 Belgium companies, research institutes and waste officials and funded by the Flemish Government Agency for Innovation by Science and Technology.

CABRISS

CLOSED

Focusing on the creation of a circular economy by using and re-using recycled waste materials from PV modules and other products, CABRISS is a joint initiative of 16 European companies and research institutes and received approval by the EU’s Horizon 2020 – Research and Innovation Framework Program.

CIRCUSOL

CIRCUSOL is an Innovation Action project funded by the Horizon 2020 program of the European Commission.  CIRCUSOL wants to unleash the full potential of circular business models, in particular Product-Service Systems (PSS), in simultaneously delivering real environmental, economic and user benefits.  By that, CIRCUSOL aims to establish solar power as a spearhead sector in demonstrating a path driven by service-based businesses towards a circular economy in Europe.