Trinasolar Produces World’s First Fully Recycled c-Si Module, a Milestone in Sustainability

Trinasolar has announced that it has successfully produced the world’s first fully recycled c-Si module. Trinasolar’s Research Center Academy made the breakthrough using its innovative self-developed recycling technology, which recovers materials from waste modules, including silicon, silver, aluminum frames, and glass. This achievement underscores Trinasolar’s commitment to sustainable development and its leading position in the industry. Gao Jifan, Chairman and CEO of Trinasolar and Director of Central R&D Institute, said that the production of the world’s first fully recycled c-Si module is a strong determination of Trinasolar’s responsibility to promote sustainable development in the PV industry that contributes to the global energy transition. The production of the world’s first recycled PV module was led by Trinasolar and completed in collaboration with upstream and downstream partners. Trinasolar has succeeded in the all-component recycling of high-value materials, including aluminum frames, glass, silver, and silicon, from waste PV panels. This was accomplished through multiple techniques, including the use of self-developed interlayer separation reagents, chemical etching technology, wet chemical silver extraction technology, and other innovative technologies. The recycled PV module uses n-type TOPCon technology and has a golden-size design, with a module efficiency of 20.7% and power output exceeding 645W. Trinasolar focuses on diligently handling and recycling waste PV panels and seeks to comply with international standards. The European Union’s Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive, published in 2012, mandates that 85% of waste panels need to be centrally collected and 80% of the materials to be recycled. Trinasolar is committed to developing advanced technological solutions for recovering and recycling waste PV modules. The company has applied for 37 patents in the field of module recycling. Trinasolar places great importance on minimizing the environmental impact of its manufacturing operations. The company has been a member of PV Cycle since 2010 and has developed a series of compliant disposal methods for end-of-life PV modules to reduce environmental pollution. Its advancement in module recycling technology not only offers a crucial solution to the large-scale decommissioning of PV modules but also boosts the growth of the PV industry.