The unsolved problem: HI ERN physicist Dr Ian Marius Peters on the difficult recycling of solar cells on spektrum.de

December 5, 2023 - The growing demand for renewable energy has led to a massive increase in the production of photovoltaic modules. But what happens to solar cells and the valuable raw materials they contain when they reach the end of their lifespan? The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that up to 80 million tons of end-of-life modules will be produced worldwide by 2050.

Das ungelöste Problem: HI ERN-Physiker Dr. Ian Marius Peters über das schwierige Recycling von Solarzellen auf spektrum.de
PV-Modules should not be made for eternity, but for an eternal cycle.
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Physicist Dr. Ian Marius Peters, team leader at the Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nuremberg for Renewable Energies (HI ERN), is fundamentally rethinking the design of solar cells. At the end of their lifespan, solar modules should be disassembled with little effort and the raw materials fed into a sustainable cycle.

In the article recently published on spektrum.de, Peters explains his circular approach: this requires not only further developing the manufacturing processes, but also planning technical solutions for recycling in the laboratory. Modules should not be made for eternity, but for an eternal cycle.

Peters is head of the team "High Throughput Characterization and Modelling for PV" at the Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nuremberg for Renewable Energy (HI ERN). The physicist received one of the prestigious Consolidator Grants from the European Research Council ERC for the Cradle2Cradle-PV project to develop recycling concepts for solar modules.

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Dr. Ian Marius Peters

Gruppenleiter "Hoch­durch­satz Cha­rakter­isierung und Modell­ierung für die PV"

    Building HIERN-Immerwahrstr /
    Room 2.3
    +49 9131-12538303
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    Last Modified: 11.12.2023