As global solar capacity surges past 1.5 terawatts (TW), an emerging challenge shadows this success: managing the millions of panels approaching end-of-life.
By 2030, cumulative solar waste is expected to exceed 4 million tones, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Italy-based Stokkermill, with over 30 years in the recycling sector, is positioning itself at the forefront of this fast-developing market with a new generation of solar panel recycling plants that promise both efficiency and material recovery at scale.
Traditional photovoltaic (PV) recycling involves labor-intensive disassembly, particularly the manual removal of aluminum frames. Stokkermill’s new system eliminates that bottleneck. Its fully automated plant processes complete panels—framed or unframed—without pre-stripping, reducing labor costs and significantly accelerating throughput. The company’s electromechanical separation process not only simplifies dismantling but enables recovery of up to 99% of a panel’s materials, including aluminum, glass, and a silicon-glass mixture with measurable silver content.
This innovation has already been commercialized. A pilot installation at GoMetal in Calabria has integrated the system into its existing recycling line, transitioning from cable and engine recycling into solar waste processing. The operation now ranks among southern Italy’s most advanced recycling sites. Another large-scale project, located in Emilia-Romagna, is set to come online later this year, capable of processing four tonnes of solar panels per hour—a critical capacity as end-of-life modules begin to accumulate from Europe’s early 2000s solar boom.
Efficiency gains are also visible in the plants’ low energy consumption, operating at under 1 kilowatt-hour per tonne of processed material. The recovered aluminum exits the process in purified profiles of 40–70 millimeters, ready for direct reuse in metallurgical applications. The system’s delamination mills perform the mechanical separation of glass, polymers, and silicon composites while minimizing equipment wear and maintenance downtime—an operational advantage in continuous industrial environments.
Stokkermill’s approach to process modularity expands its relevance beyond PV recycling. With minor configuration changes, the same plant design can treat end-of-life electronics (WEEE), allowing recyclers to diversify their waste streams. This flexibility appeals to small and mid-sized operators seeking compact, dual-purpose installations, while major recyclers are investing in high-throughput systems designed for regional coverage.
The economics of solar recycling hinge not only on throughput but on material valorization. Silicon and glass mixtures, previously treated as low-value byproducts, are now recognized for their secondary silver content and potential applications in metallurgical and composite manufacturing. Stokkermill’s continuous R&D aims to increase the purity and yield of these recovered fractions, especially glass above 2 millimeters, which has become a sought-after input in glass and ceramics production.
Globally, the demand for PV recycling infrastructure is expanding in parallel with solar deployment. In Japan, the United States, and across Europe, national recycling targets are pushing operators to adopt technologies that combine automation, material recovery, and energy efficiency. Stokkermill’s growing international footprint reflects this shift from niche R&D to scalable industrial solutions capable of supporting circularity in renewable energy.
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