Quick answer
Recycling a solar panel means taking it apart and recovering its materials. A basic mechanical process removes the aluminium frame and junction box, then separates and shreds the laminate to recover glass, aluminium and metals. More advanced thermal and chemical processes go further, recovering high-purity silicon and silver. Leading facilities now report recovering roughly 90–96% of a panel by material or value.
What’s inside a panel
A crystalline-silicon panel is mostly glass (~70%) and an aluminium frame, with a thin layer of silicon cells and small amounts of copper and silver, all held together by polymer encapsulant. The Clean Energy Council notes about 95% of these materials are recyclable — the challenge is recovering them cleanly and economically.
Mechanical recycling
The most common approach is mechanical. The frame and junction box come off for straightforward aluminium and copper recovery, then the module is shredded and the fractions are separated by size, magnetism and density. This recovers the bulk of the glass and metals, but tends to mix the fine glass and silicon, which limits the value of those streams.
High-value recovery
To recover clean silicon and silver, specialists add thermal and chemical steps that break down the encapsulant and separate the cell materials. France’s ROSI, for example, focuses on recovering high-purity silicon and silver — the toughest materials to reclaim — and is scaling a 10,000-tonne facility in Spain. This is where most of a panel’s hidden value sits.
Recovery rates reported by leading recyclers
| Recycler | Reported recovery | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| First Solar | >90% of module materials | In-house recycling since 2005 |
| SOLARCYCLE (US) | ~96% of panel value | High-throughput material recovery |
| ROSI (France) | High-purity Si & Ag | Silicon and silver recovery |
Figures are each company’s own reported claims, summarised by Earth911; methods and definitions differ, so treat them as indicative rather than directly comparable.
What it means for collection
The takeaway for anyone with panels to move: recycling technology is capable and improving, so landfill is rarely the right call. The practical bottleneck is getting panels collected and to the right facility. In Sydney, ReSova collects panels and routes them to appropriate reuse or recycling — see what we collect, or read whether panels can be recycled in Australia.
Key takeaways
- Recycling separates a panel into glass, aluminium, copper, silver and silicon for recovery.
- Basic mechanical recycling removes the frame and shreds/sorts materials; it recovers most of the mass.
- Thermal and chemical processes recover high-purity silicon and silver — the hardest, highest-value materials.
- Leading facilities report recovering about 90–96% of a panel by material or value.
- Which process a panel goes through depends on the facilities available and the economics.
Frequently asked questions
How are solar panels recycled?
The frame and junction box are removed first, then the laminate is processed to separate glass, and shredding and sorting recover aluminium, copper and other metals. Advanced facilities add thermal or chemical steps to recover high-purity silicon and silver.
How much of a solar panel can be recycled?
By material, a panel is roughly 95% recyclable. In practice, leading facilities report recovering about 90% (First Solar) to 96% (SOLARCYCLE) of a panel's material or value, depending on the process.
Why isn't every panel recycled to the highest level?
High-value recovery (pure silicon and silver) needs specialised plant and is more expensive than basic material recovery. Which process a panel goes through depends on the facilities available and the economics.
See what we collect
ReSova collects old solar panels on site across Sydney, then sorts them for reuse or recycling. Check coverage and pricing for your postcode, or talk to the team.