German minister for Economic Affairs and Climate protection meets technology leader in solar recycling
German minister for Economic Affairs and Climate protection meets technology leader in solar recycling
Habeck visits SOLAR MATERIALS solar panel recycling plant in Magdeburg
Magdeburg. On Thursday, 11 July 2024, the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection in Germany, Robert Habeck, visited SOLAR MATERIALS GmbH the technology leader in the recycling of solar modules in Magdeburg.
During his visit, Habeck emphasised the importance of recycling solar modules for the German economy and climate protection. Germany is at the forefront of the global solar boom. The world’s first market for the recycling of solar modules is therefore emerging here. By 2035, a quarter of a million tonnes of solar modules will be ready for recycling. The reason for the end of life is weather damage, production defects or age. SOLAR MATERIALS is already receiving recycling requests in the order of several hundred lorries.
The speed of authorisation procedures for the storage of solar modules was also discussed with Habeck. These take months, even though the authorities have no concerns and the storage areas are ready to go.
The EU POP Regulation, which requires declaration analyses for more than 130,000 module types, also jeopardises competitiveness in solar recycling. This is because some manufacturers no longer exist or customers do not have the data sheets.
Bundeswirtschaftsminister Habeck trifft Technologieführer im Solarrecycling
Magdeburg. Am Donnerstag, dem 11. Juli 2024, besuchte der Bundesminister für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz, Robert Habeck, die SOLAR MATERIALS GmbH in Magdeburg, den Technologieführer beim Recycling von Solarmodulen.
Mit seinem Besuch hat Habeck die Bedeutung des Recyclings von Solarmodulen für die deutsche Wirtschaft sowie den Klimaschutz hervorgehoben. Deutschland ist Vorreiter des globalen Solar-Booms. Somit entsteht hier weltweit der erste Markt für das Recycling der Solarmodule. Bis zum Jahr 2035 sind eine Viertel Millionen Tonnen Solarmodule bereit für das Recycling. Der Grund für das Lebensende sind Wetterschäden,Produktionsfehler oder das Alter. Bereits heute erhält SOLAR MATERIALS Recyclinganfragen in Größenordnungen von mehreren hundert LKWs.
Zudem wurde mit Habeck über die Geschwindigkeit von Genehmigungsverfahren zur Lagerung von Solarmodulen diskutiert. Diese dauern Monate, obwohl aus Sicht der Behörden keine Bedenken bestehen und die Lagerflächen startklar sind.
Auch die EU-POP-Verordnung, die Deklarationsanalysen für mehr als 130.000 Modultypen vorsieht, gefährdet die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit im Solarrecycling. Denn Hersteller existieren teilweise nicht mehr oder Kunden besitzen die Datenblätter nicht.
SOLAR MATERIALS
About SOLAR MATERIALS
With the aim to close the raw material cycle in the solar industry, SOLAR MATERIALS developed its own patented recycling technology for solar modules, which recovers all raw materials from end-of-life solar modules, including silver and silicon economically.
SOLAR MATERIALS increases the company’s annual recycling capacity to 10,000 tons
SOLAR MATERIALS to build industrial scale recycling plant for solar panels to increase the company’s annual recycling capacity to 10,000 tons
Magdeburg 04.06.2024 – SOLAR MATERIALS, a cleantech startup from Magdeburg for solar panel recycling, announced the successful closing of its EUR 12.2 million Series A round. With the funding, the company builds its first industrial sized recycling plant in Magdeburg and increases its recycling capacity to over 10,000 tons or 500,000 solar panels per year.
“The new plant will be commissioned around May 2025 at a new site in Magdeburg and will create around 20 new jobs in the region.” says co-founder Fridolin Franke. The plant will act as the company’s blueprint for the international rollout, as the volume of solar panel waste is growing exponentially globally. “We already plan to open a second site for the primary treatment of solar panels in southern Germany this year as we see increasing demand in Germany, as today’s largest solar panel recycling market” comments Fridolin Franke further.
The financing round was funded by the company’s existing investors bmp Ventures with the IBG funds, First Imagine!, and Katapult with an additional grant component of the EIC Accelerator.
Boris Dorin, Partner at First Imagine!, comments
“SOLAR MATERIALS could quickly position itself in the German recycling market, which is currently Europe’s largest market. This proofed the solution to be technically and commercially feasible. Since our investment into the up and running pilot, the company demonstrated its technology to be robust, scalable, and efficient to become a global solution. SOLAR MATERIALS underlines our mission to support great cleantech companies to create a sustainable future and build a circular economy.”
The investment into the first industrial recycling plant is the response to the rapidly increasing demand. Since November 2023, SOLAR MATERIALS recycles solar panels as a certified waste treatment company for solar panels and proofed their technology on commercial scale. “In the minute we were fully certified, we received overwhelming request for our recycling services and the recycled raw materials. With the current backlog of orders and request, recycling volumes already fill our capacity for the next year.” comments co-founder Dr. Jan-Philipp Mai.
Innovative solution for an urgent problem
Solar is one of the pillars of the energy transition and recycling solar panels plays a crucial role to achieve truly green solar energy. Over 100 million tons of solar panels are already installed, and they are an important source of raw materials. Today’s recycling processes are based on the traditional shredding and sorting recycling approach. While this allows glass, copper and aluminum to be recovered, the functional materials of the solar cells silicon and silver are lost. SOLAR MATERIALS has developed its own process to recover the previously lost raw materials silicon and silver.
David Stuck, Principal at bmp Ventures and the responsible investment manager, says
“SOLAR MATERIALS has succeeded in positioning itself as a leading technology player in an attractive growth market thanks to its professional setup, strong founders and its ESG and impact-compliant business model – keyword Circular Economy. SOLAR MATERIALS thus not only underpins our successful investment approach but can also make a significant contribution to the global and sustainable energy transition. The company’s ambitious expansion targets can be further accelerated with the conclusion of the Series A financing round. In addition, we will closely support the management and help develop the company to a new size level.”
Global perspective
As the volume of solar panel waste is rising globally, it becomes more and more important to establish collecting systems and recycling plants in other countries as well. A look at the overall balance sheet of SOLAR MATERIALS’ technology shows that cost-effectiveness and ecology are not mutually exclusive. Not only is the process economically sustainable, but the recycled raw materials require about 80% less energy than their primary production. Jan Bargel, co-founder & CTO explains “With the first of a kind (FOAK) industrial plant we will proof our technology to be easy to operate, highly scalable, and thus a perfect solution to tackle the global challenge.”
Carl Strøm Walton, Investment Director at Katapult VC, a leading Norwegian climate tech-focused fund and accelerator, adds
“Since originally investing in SOLAR MATERIALS back in 2022, we have worked closely with the team and become ever more impressed and convinced by their vision and the viability of their unique solution. The SOLAR MATERIALS solution can be game-changing in solving circularity of raw materials in the solar energy space. This Series A represents a critical inflection point in the journey as it paves the way for their industrial scale FOAK site which will act as the blueprint towards global expansion.”
With the financing round now completed, the company considers itself well equipped to respond to the growing demand and make solar energy a real green energy source.
“This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101145463.”
About the IBG Funds
The IBG funds, headquartered in Magdeburg, are the venture capital funds of the country of Saxony-Anhalt – they provide capital to young, innovative technology companies with sustainable and above average growth potential, based in Saxony-Anhalt. By the end of 2023, IBG launched the new venture capital fund, RKF IV, with a volume of 63 million euros. The fund is financed by the state and the European Union and invests in innovative startups in Saxony-Anhalt in the seed, early stage, and expansion. The IBG funds are managed by bmp Ventures AG.
About bmp Ventures
With a track record of over 250 investments across nearly all technology segments, mainly in the early-stage phase, bmp Ventures is one of the most experienced venture capital investors in Germany. In addition to direct investments, bmp managed venture capital funds for institutions such as the KfW Banking Group and DEG, the German Investment and Development Corporation. Currently, bmp oversees the IBG funds in Saxony-Anhalt and employs approximately 20 experts across its Berlin and Magdeburg locations.
About Katapult
Katapult VC is a global investment company focusing on early stage impact driven technology startups. Over the last 7 years, Katapult has made 169 investments in impact tech startups from 47 different countries. Katapult has primarily invested within three verticals: Ocean, Climate and Africa. In 2021, Katapult launched the Katapult Foundation with the aim of building a larger network around impact investing. Katapult also hosts the annual Katapult Future Fest in Oslo, bringing together founders, investors and some of the most prominent figures within impact investment.
About First Imagine
First Imagine! is a European-based venture investor exclusively focused on the energy transition, covering a broad range of technologies from energy generation to transmission and distribution, to consumption and demand management. First Imagine! specifically targets startups at the early commercialization stage, primarily in Europe (EU, UK, Nordics) and Israel.
Established in 2016, First Imagine! has a distributed team with over 50 years of combined expertise in the power industry to help startups in the energy transition space to grow and thrive, while contributing to a more sustainable future.
About SOLAR MATERIALS
The cleantech startup SOLAR MATERIALS develops technologies for recycling solar panels. With their patented recycling process, all raw materials of the solar modules to be recycled can be recovered economically. The focus is particularly on the functional materials silver and silicon as well as high-quality glass to close the raw material cycle of solar and contributes to a green energy supply.
Intersolar Europe 2024
News
SOLAR MATERIALS at the Intersolar 2024 in Munich!
This year we were part of the Startup Area at Intersolar in Munich from 19 to 21 June.
The special thing about it was that as the winner of the Startup Award from Solar Power Europe, our stand was part of the prize. That’s why we were doubly proud and happy about every visitor who managed to stop by the SOLAR MATERIALS booth.
We are still overwhelmed by the rush and the super positive feedback we received on site and are already looking forward to next year!
Exciting news for 2025: Next year, we will venture the step from the Startup Hall to the large PV halls at Intersolar. So stay tuned to see what surprises we come up with.🚀
Wir waren auf der Intersolar 2024 in München!
Dieses Jahr waren wir auf der Intersolar in München vom 19. Bis 21. Juni in der Startup Area zu finden.
Das Besondere daran, als Gewinner des Startup Award von Solar Power Europe war der Stand Teil des Gewinns. Deshalb waren wir gleich doppelt stolz und froh über jeden Besucher, der es geschafft hat bei SOLAR MATERIALS vorbeizuschauen.
Wir sind immer noch überwältigt von dem Ansturm und dem super positiven Feedback, was wir vor Ort bekommen haben und freuen uns jetzt schon auf das nächste Jahr!
Das besondere 2025: Wir werden im nächsten Jahr den Stepp von der Startup Halle in die großen PV-Hallen der Intersolar wagen. Also bleibt gespannt, was wir uns da für Überraschungen überlegen.
SOLAR MATERIALS at Intersolar 2024
EIC Accelerator
News
SOLAR MATERIALS receives up to 6.6 million EUR from the EIC Accelerator program to revolutionize solar panel recycling.
We’re over the sun at SOLAR MATERIALS GmbH 🚀🌞 Our PRISM project has just won a significant EU funding boost from the EIC Accelerator program, scoring up to 6.6 million EUR to revolutionise solar module recycling.
The PRISM project is the next step, following the construction of our current 3,000-ton-capacity pilot line in Magdeburg. Within the next 18 months, we will bring our technology to the next level and target a capacity of up to 8,000 tons to deal with Germany’s and Europe’s surging amount of solar panel waste.
PRISM isn’t just a project; it’s our vision for a sustainable future brought to life, promising to transform how the world recycles solar modules. This isn’t just about innovation; it’s about making a positive impact on our planet.
Join us in celebrating this milestone as we shine a light on a greener future! Follow us on our journey to revolutionise the world of solar panel reycling!
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7124733363445231616/
#SolarMaterialsGmbH #PRISM #Innovation #EICAccelerator #SustainableFuture #CelebrateSolar
SOLAR MATERIALS erhält EIC Accelerator Finanzierung
SOLAR MATERIALS erhält bis zu 6,6 Millionen Euro aus dem EIC Accelerator Programm, um das Recycling von Solarmodulen zu revolutionieren.
Wir von der SOLAR MATERIALS GmbH strahlen mit der Sonne um die Wette 🚀🌞 Unser PRISM-Projekt hat soeben einen bedeutenden EU-Förderschub aus dem EIC Accelerator-Programm erhalten und wird mit bis zu 6,6 Millionen Euro gefördert, um das Recycling von Solarmodulen zu revolutionieren.
Das PRISM-Projekt ist der nächste Schritt nach dem Bau unserer derzeitigen Pilotlinie mit einer Kapazität von 3.000 Tonnen in Magdeburg. Innerhalb der nächsten 18 Monate werden wir unsere Technologie auf die nächste Stufe bringen und eine Kapazität von bis zu 8.000 Tonnen anstreben, um die wachsende Menge an Solarmodulabfällen in Deutschland und Europa zu bewältigen.
PRISM ist nicht nur ein Projekt, sondern unsere Vision für eine nachhaltige Zukunft, die das Recycling von Solarmodulen weltweit verändern wird. Hier geht es nicht nur um Innovation, sondern auch darum, einen positiven Einfluss auf unseren Planeten auszuüben.
Feiern Sie mit uns diesen Meilenstein und werfen Sie mit uns ein Licht auf eine grünere Zukunft! Folgen Sie uns auf unserem Weg, die Welt des Recyclings von Solarmodulen zu revolutionieren!
SOLAR MATERIALS receives €6.6m. from EICAccelerator program to revolutionize solar panel recycling
Intersolar Europe 2023
News
It’s time! Connect with us in Munich from tomorrow until friday at Intersolar 2023. We are particularly excited to share our ideas for efficient solar panel recycling. So be sure to stop by Hall B5 Booth 150K and get in touch with us! 🚀
We are looking forward to meet you!
SOLAR MATERIALS auf der Intersolar 2023 kennenlernen
Es ist soweit! Treffen Sie uns von morgen bis Freitag in München auf der Intersolar 2023. Wir freuen uns besonders darauf, Ihnen unsere Ideen für effizientes Recycling von Solarmodulen vorzustellen. Schauen Sie also unbedingt in Halle B5 am Stand 150K vorbei und kommen Sie mit uns ins Gespräch! 🚀
Wir freuen uns auf Ihren Besuch!
Hugo Junkers Preis 2023
News
Yesterday SOLAR MATERIALS came in second in the special category „Innovativste Projekte aus dem Bereich Energie- und Umweltforschung“ at the Hugo Junkers Preis 2023 for our sustainable recycling technology for solar panels 🎉 ✨
We especially would like to thank the jury and Prof. Dr. Armin Willingmann for giving us the opportunity to share the work we are so incredibly proud of in the spirit of innovative Hugo Junkers who pioneered Germany’s aeronautical engineering so many years ago! ✈
Thank you very much.
Hugo Junker Preis 2023
Gestern haben wir von SOLAR MATERIALS beim Hugo Junkers Preis 2023 den zweiten Platz in der Sonderkategorie „Innovativste Projekte aus dem Bereich Energie- und Umweltforschung“ belegt 🎉 ✨.
Wir möchten uns ganz besonders bei der Jury und bei Prof. Dr. Armin Willingmann bedanken, dass sie uns die Möglichkeit gegeben haben, unsere Arbeit, auf die wir so unglaublich stolz sind, im Sinne des innovativen Hugo Junkers, der vor so vielen Jahren Pionierarbeit für die deutsche Luftfahrttechnik geleistet hat, zu präsentieren! ✈
Herzlichen Dank!
Hugo Junker Preis 2023
Seed Funding Round 2023
News
Magdeburg 09.03.2023 – SOLAR MATERIALS, a cleantech startup from Magdeburg specializing in solar module recycling, today announced the successful closing of its current EUR 2.5 million funding round. With its innovative recycling technology, SOLAR MATERIALS closes the raw material loop in the solar industry.
The financing round is led by existing investor bmp Ventures, which invests with IBG RKF III GmbH & Co. KG. The new investors include impact VCs Katapult and FirstImagine! With the funding, SOLAR MATERIALS builds its first automated recycling plant with a capacity of approximately 3,000 tons per year, which will start operations this year. Photovoltaics (PV) is one of the pillars of the energy transition and thus an indispensable part of the future energy mix. With its early promotion of solar energy around the turn of the millennium, Germany is one of the pioneers of the global PV boom. The pioneering role in PV expansion is now being followed by the first wave of solar modules to be recycled. In Germany alone, the amount of solar modules to be recycled is estimated to grow to well over 100,000 tons or 5 million modules per year by the end of the decade. Globally, 1 million tons or 50 million end-of-life solar modules are already expected by 2030. With its patented recycling technology, SOLAR MATERIALS offers an economical and at the same time ecological solution.
The recycling of solar panels is a global challenge which to some extend can undermine the positive impact solar energy brings to our planet. I strongly believe that SOLAR MATERIALS have all the necessary elements which are required to tackle this problem – efficient and scalable technology, great team, entrepreneurial spirit and great devotion to the cause.
Boris Dorin, Partner at FirstImagine!
Recycling of solar modules – A yet unsolved problem
Solar modules consist of a composite of a plastic back, solar cells and cover glass, which are welded together by a plastic film (so-called EVA film) and stabilized by an aluminum frame. The modules are connected to the grid through a junction box on the back of the modules. Separating the laminate is a technical challenge. Today’s recycling processes are based on the familiar recycling approach of shredding and sorting. While this allows glass and aluminum to be recovered, the functional materials of the solar cells silicon and silver are lost. SOLAR MATERIALS has developed its own process to recover the previously lost raw materials silicon and silver.
For our 2022 cohort, we evaluated more than 2,000 impressive climate tech companies from across the globe and we selected the SOLAR MATERIALS team as 1 of just 23 in our final cohort. We expect (and encourage) a further accelerated rollout of PV modules worldwide, but we believe the limitations of PV module recycling is a rapidly growing issue for solar asset owners. The SOLAR MATERIALS solution can be game-changing in solving circularity of raw materials in the solar energy space. A clear match with our investment criteria but also speaking to the core of our vision of building a thriving world for all.
Carl Strøm Walton, Investment Manager at Katapult VC, a leading Norwegian climate tech-focused fund and accelerator
Ecologically and economically sustainable
The value-added recycling is made technically possible by a combination of thermo-mechanical process steps and unique materials and process know-how. “Within the last year, we have scaled our technology to module size and demonstrated and tested the individual process steps with our inhouse developed machines,” explains technical managing director and co-founder Jan Bargel. “The quality of the raw materials we recover has already been confirmed by external laboratories and potential customers, which has also enabled us to prove the economic viability of our process,” Fridolin Franke, commercial managing director and also co-founder, adds. A look at the overall balance sheet shows that cost-effectiveness and ecology are not mutually exclusive. Not only is the process economically sustainable, but the recycled raw materials require about 80% less energy than their primary production.
The team has made excellent progress since our initial Seed investment, providing tech and business proof. We are therefore very pleased to have further investors on board and to increase our investment in SOLAR MATERIALS to support the company in entering the market with their first automated solar recycling line in Saxony-Anhalt.
David Stuck, Principal at bmp Ventures
The foundation of SOLAR MATERIALS GmbH is the result of several years of development. The idea generator and co-founder is Dr. Jan-Philipp Mai, whose ventures are fully dedicated to silicon as a resource. “Starting in September, we will put our automated recycling line with a capacity of 3,000 tons per year into operation at our site in Magdeburg. For this purpose, we are currently in the process of being certified as a specialist waste management company, in order to be able to meet not only the ecological and economic, but also all the legal requirements of our customers,” says Dr. Jan- Philipp Mai, describing the company’s next steps.
With the financing round now completed, the company considers itself well equipped to start the commercial recycling of solar modules before the end of this year.
About the IBG Funds
The IBG Funds, based in Magdeburg, are the venture capital funds of the state of Saxony-Anhalt. The IBG funds provide equity capital to innovative companies with sustainable and above-average growth potential and headquarters/operations in Saxony-Anhalt. At the beginning of 2017, IBG launched the new venture capital fund RKF III with a volume of EUR 84 million. The fund is financed by funds from the state and the European Union and invests in innovative companies in Saxony-Anhalt in the seed, startup and growth phases. The IBG funds are managed by bmp Ventures AG.
About bmp Ventures
With a background of experience of more than 250 investments from almost all technology segments, the majority of which are early stage, bmp is one of the most experienced venture capital investors in Germany. In addition to direct investments, bmp has managed venture capital funds for KfW Bankengruppe and DEG – Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft, among others. Currently, bmp manages the IBG funds in Saxony-Anhalt and the early-stage fund Brandenburg. bmp has around 20 employees at its offices in Berlin and Magdeburg.
About Katapult
Katapult VC is a global investment company focusing on early stage impact driven technology startups. Over the last 6 years, Katapult has made 146 investments in impact tech startups from 47 different countries. Katapult invests within three investment verticals: Ocean-, Climate- and Food-tech.
Katapult has run 10 flagship accelerator programs and three corporate accelerator programs.
In 2021, Katapult launched the Katapult Foundation with the aim of building a larger network around impact investing. Katapult also hosts the annual Katapult Future Fest in Oslo, bringing together founders, investors and some of the most prominent figures within impact investment.
About First Imagine
First Imagine! is a European-based venture investor exclusively focused in the energy transition, covering a broad range of technologies from energy generation to transmission and distribution, to consumption and demand management. First Imagine! specifically targets startups at the early commercialization stage, primarily in Europe (EU, UK, Nordics) and Israel.
Established in 2016, First Imagine! has a distributed team with over 50 years of combined expertise in the power industry. As a member of the British Venture Capital Association and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Coalition for Action, First Imagine! is part of the European extensive network in the innovation and startup ecosystems.
First Imagine!’s goal is to help startups in the energy transition space to grow and thrive, while contributing to a more sustainable future.
About SOLAR MATERIALS
The clean-tech start-up SOLAR MATERIALS develops technologies for recycling photovoltaic (PV) modules. With the patented recycling process, all raw materials of the solar modules to be recycled can be recovered economically. The focus is particularly on the functional materials silver and silicon as well as high-quality glass. SOLAR MATERIALS thus closes the raw material cycle of photovoltaics and contributes to a holistic green energy supply.
Solarplaza Sustainability and Circularity Summit 2022
News
On November 23rd 2022 SOLAR MATERIALS had the opportunity to participate in the Solarplaza Sustainability & Circularity Summit and exchange ideas with many industry representatives about sustainability in the solar sector. In addition, Fridolin participated in a panel discussion on Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and was able to report on our progress in closing the loop in the solar industry.
SOLAR MATERIALS bei Solarplaza Sustainability & Circularity Summit
Am 23. November 2022 hatte SOLAR MATERIALS die Gelegenheit, am Solarplaza Sustainability & Circularity Summit teilzunehmen und sich mit vielen Branchenvertretern über Nachhaltigkeit in der Solarbranche auszutauschen. Darüber hinaus nahm Fridolin Franke an einer Podiumsdiskussion unter dem Motto “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” teil und konnte über unsere Fortschritte bei der Schließung des Kreislaufs in der Solarbranche berichten.
Katapult Accelerator 2022
News
We are really excited to announce that SOLAR MATERIALS is in the top 23 impact tech startups to receive investment from Katapult group this fall. 🚀 These startups represent the top 1% of all 1900 candidates to the accelerator program. In total, the recruitment round screened startups from 6 continents and around 62 countries, and the selected 23 companies represent 14 different countries and span 5 continents.
We will join other startups in the Katapult Accelerator 2022: An accelerator program specifically designed for high impact Ocean- and Climate-tech companies. This award winning program is Katapult’s flagship accelerator program and has received international praise for being the most comprehensive impact program in the world. Over the next three months, we will strengthen our skills in impact, strategy, management and investor readiness through a combination of video modules and hands-on workshops. We will also benefit from entering a network of international mentors, industry players and investors.
Jørn Haanæs, Investment Director of Climate says: “We invest in the most impressive teams we can find, teams, building real climate solutions in fast growing markets. We’re proud to partner with SOLAR MATERIALS for the coming decade.”
