Recycled Material Applications

Retirement Is Not the End —
It's Where Materials Begin

Beyond glass — the silver paste on every cell is one of the highest-value recovery targets in end-of-life modules. From glass to silver, we've built a complete disposition pipeline so every gram finds its highest use.

Solar Recycling Maturity

The Level of Recycling Determines
How Far Every Gram Can Go

Solar panel retirement isn't black and white — from landfill to full material separation, the recovery residual value gap for the same 1MW site can reach 6x or more.

0%
Level 1
Landfill
All materials discarded — zero recovery, zero residual value
~8%
Level 2
Frame Only
Panel body discarded — silver, silicon, and glass all lost
~30%
Level 3
Shredded Mixed
Post-shredding contamination; silver powder unrecoverable; glass requires extra cleaning
RePV Today
80%
Level 4
Full Material Separation
High-purity silver extraction — each material enters its own downstream channel
RePV Future
100%
Level 5
Easy-Disassembly
Recovery pathway built into design — full circular at end-of-life
▶ Most of the industry is still at Level 3 — shredded mixed recovery is the mainstream approach
Glass Recycling

70% of a Solar Panel is Glass —
We Turn It Into a Reuse Solution

After panels retire, 70% of their weight is glass. Without a clear reuse path, it ends up in landfill. RePV channels recovered glass directly into premium building material applications — not just recycle, but genuinely reuse.

Recycled Quartz Tile Technology License
License our recycled quartz tile manufacturing technology to establish your own production line within existing facilities. Ideal for investors with a panel materials background, or those looking to enter the high-value glass reuse market.
Turnkey Factory Export
We provide a complete turnkey factory solution for recycled quartz tile manufacturing — including equipment planning, process technology, 3D coloring techniques, and market channels. Designed for partners who want to quickly establish a full production line or enter overseas markets.
✅
Proven Market Channel in Taiwan — Recycled glass is upcycled into premium quartz building materials, successfully entering high-end kitchen, bathroom, and commercial interior applications. This model has been validated in the Taiwan market and is replicable for overseas expansion.
Glass Applications

High-Purity Recycled Glass
for Premium Building Material Applications

Recovered glass is reprocessed into premium quartz building materials, entering high-end kitchens, bathrooms, flooring, and commercial interior applications.

Backsheet & Silver Recovery

Silver Lives in the Backsheet —
Two Pathways to Recover It

Solar panel backsheets are PVDF-based and structurally inseparable from the cells beneath — which means the silver paste in those cells enters the recovery stream too. Conventional thermal treatment can't handle PVDF without releasing toxic fluorine exhaust. RePV's two pathways solve this, turning what was a dead end into a source of high-value silver recovery.

01
Partner-Managed Processing
Free Processing + Volume Rebates
  • Working with our processing partners, we handle backsheet + cell assembly material at no cost to the client
  • Partners perform silver extraction, recovering high-purity silver from the cell material
  • Once material volume reaches a defined threshold, rebates are provided to the supplier
  • Zero additional cost — ideal for smaller-scale operators or those without in-house processing lines
02
Pyrolysis Line
Static Batch Pyrolysis Recovery
  • High-temperature pyrolysis (400–550°C) fully decomposes PVDF backsheets and EVA organic materials, with multi-stage exhaust treatment
  • Core Value 1: Downstream Chemical Silver Extraction — silver paste in cells can be extracted at high purity through wet chemical processes
  • Core Value 2: Silicon Wafer Reuse — post-pyrolysis silicon wafers retain structural integrity, re-entering solar cell or semiconductor material streams
  • Dual-furnace design, ~10–12 tons/24hr capacity, scalable by volume
Static Batch Pyrolysis

Pyrolysis: How We Get the Silver Out

Sealed high-temperature batch pyrolysis completely decomposes PVDF backsheets and EVA encapsulant layers, unlocking two core values: downstream chemical silver extraction, and intact silicon wafer reuse. The entire line is equipped with negative-pressure collection and multi-stage exhaust treatment.

01
Pre-Disassembly
Remove frames and junction boxes, sort and collect, maximize furnace loading efficiency
02
Sealed Pyrolysis
400–550°C batch pyrolysis — EVA and backsheet organic materials fully decomposed
03
Exhaust Treatment
Wet ESP → UV photocatalytic oxidation → activated carbon adsorption — compliant discharge
04
Material Sorting
Vibration sieve + airflow separation + eddy current sorting — separating glass, silicon, copper
≈99%
Glass
Glass purity reference
≈95%
Silicon Wafers
Silicon-cell fraction purity
≈98%
Copper Ribbon
Copper ribbon purity
Pyrolysis Equipment
Technical Specs
  • Model YT-GFBLJ-12 (Dual Furnace)
  • Capacity ~10–12 tons / 24 hours
  • Operating Temp. 400–550°C, adjusted by feedstock
  • Heating Method Resistance heating, 287 kW total
  • Footprint ~1,000 m² (incl. environmental equipment)
  • Staffing ~3–4 persons / shift
  • Exhaust Treatment Wet ESP + UV + Activated Carbon
Silver & Silicon

0.022% of a Module's Weight.
46% of Its Recovery Value.

Every module contains 4.32 grams of silver paste — nearly invisible by weight, irreplaceable in value. Conventional shredding turns it into unsellable powder. RePV extracts it at high purity, unlocking access to electronics and specialty chemical markets. At today's price of $62.79/oz, that single capability generates $22.4M per GW — making silver extraction the largest single driver of recovery economics.

Share of module weight
0.022%
4.32 g per module
barely measurable
→
Share of total recovery value
46%
$22.4M per GW
largest single contributor
Conventional — silver recovered
$0
Shredding destroys silver into mixed powder — no viable recovery path
RePV — silver recovered per GW
$22.4M
High-purity extraction · $2,019/kg · LBMA Aug 2026
Silver price surge · 2024 → 2026
+122%
USD 28.27/oz → $62.79/oz · extraction capability now more valuable than ever
Calculation Assumptions
1 GW = 2,564,103 modules 390 W / 20 kg per module All values in USD, prices as of August 2026 Silver content: measured 4.32 g/module (backsheet layer 1,800 PPM × 12%)
Material Weight (1 GW) Unit Price (2026) Conventional Recovery
Al + Cu only, no silver extraction		 RePV Full Recovery
incl. silver extraction		 Notes
Glass 38,974 t $0.14/kg —
Mixed with plastics, no market value		 ~$5.4M
Clean glass panel		 Intact separation required to preserve value
Aluminum 4,103 t $3.22/kg
LME Aug 2026		 ~$13.1M ~$13.1M Recovered by both methods
Copper 513 t $14.79/kg
COMEX Aug 2026		 ~$7.6M ~$7.6M Recovered by both methods
Silver ★
Key differentiator		 11,077 kg
= 4.32 g/module		 $2,019/kg
$62.79/oz · LBMA Aug 2026		 —
No extraction capability		 ~$22.4M
46% of total value		 Silver price +122% since 2024 (USD 28→63/oz); small by weight, enormous in value
Total Recovery Value Per 1 GW basis ~$20.7M ~$48.5M
CO₂ Reduction Ref. NEDO study Low Up to 60%

* Basis: 1 GW = 2,564,103 modules × 20 kg each; silver content from measured data (backsheet layer 1,800 PPM × 12%) = 4.32 g/module; metal prices as of August 2026 (USD). Sources: Academia Sinica Sustainability Science Center (2025), LME, COMEX, LBMA.

Silver price surge: 2024 → 2026
2024 annual average
USD 28.27/oz
Silver recovery ≈ $10.1M/GW
August 2026
USD 62.79/oz
↑ +122% → $22.4M/GW
Silver prices more than doubled in just two years, making silver extraction capability the single biggest factor separating RePV full recovery from conventional metal-only recycling. Sources: LBMA annual average (2024), LBMA spot price (Aug 2026).
No Waste —
Only Resources Yet to Be Utilized
Every retired module holds value waiting to be reclaimed. We built the exit before the entrance.
Designed for the Future

Solving Today,
Designing Tomorrow

Everything above addresses recycling and disposition of existing retired modules — but we're simultaneously designing how future solar panels can be built ready for high-purity recovery from day one.

RePV EVA easy-disassembly modules use a dual-layer encapsulation structure. At end-of-life, simple heating enables complete layer separation — recovering cells, glass, and silver paste at maximum purity. This lifts the recovery residual value from NT$13M to NT$80M (per 1MW).

Easy-Disassembly Encapsulant Film
Retirement Recovery Value · 1MW
NT$80M
vs. conventional NT$13M — over 6x improvement
CO₂ Reduction
Up to 60%
Recycled silicon wafers have only 6.4% the carbon footprint of virgin production
RePV EVA Easy-Disassembly Module — identical to standard modules during installation, but fully separable at end-of-life. Every project using easy-disassembly modules is an entry point into the full circular economy.
RePV provides one-stop EPC services from design and procurement through to construction and commissioning. Whether rooftop, ground-mount, or special marine applications, we can deliver. EPC services can be combined with RePV EVA easy-disassembly modules, ensuring every project enters a full circular lifecycle from day one.
🏗️
Standard Module EPC
Turnkey engineering for rooftop and ground-mount installations using specified module brands, including mono-glass and dual-glass configurations
♻️
Easy-Disassembly Module EPC (Recommended)
Integrates RePV EVA encapsulation technology, ensuring complete recyclability at end-of-life. 1MW recovery residual value reaches NT$80M
⚓
Special Application EPC
Marine vessels, complex curved surfaces, and other special engineering environments — drawing on real-world experience from the Porrima zero-emission vessel
Case Studies
Porrima Zero-Emission Vessel
Case Study — Porrima
Solar EPC Engineering for the World's First Zero-Emission Vessel
Full EPC design and construction on a complex curved vessel hull. 100% zero-carbon propulsion, with module structure supporting complete recyclability.
Tongluo Tech Park Rooftop
Case Study — Tongluo Tech Park
696 kWp Rooftop EPC — Turning Idle Factory Into Green Energy Asset
Converted a large idle factory rooftop into a 573,122 kWh/year green energy system, reducing carbon emissions by 271.66 tonnes CO₂e per year.
Inquire About EPC Solutions → Calculate Recovery ROI
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