SOLAR MATERIALS Doubles Recycling Capacity to 14,000 Tons
SOLAR MATERIALS Doubles Recycling Capacity to 14,000 Tons and Launches Flexible Expansion Model Across Europe
SOLAR MATERIALS has doubled its annual recycling capacity for solar modules to 14,000 tons. At the same time, the company is introducing a flexible capacity model designed to accelerate its expansion into additional European markets.
Since spring 2025, SOLAR MATERIALS has operated the world’s most advanced industrial-scale recycling plant for solar modules. The decision to double capacity is driven by rising demand for recycling solutions for end-of-life panels and by the pressing need to recover strategic raw materials such as silicon and silver.
Modular Capacity to Support Europe’s Needs
Thanks to the modular design of its recycling line, SOLAR MATERIALS can respond rapidly to growing demand in European and global markets. Entire system modules can be relocated within weeks. The company’s current expansion strategy focuses on strengthening Europe’s energy and resource sovereignty, prioritizing its home market of Germany as well as core European markets and the United Kingdom.
Strengthening the Circular Economy by Recovering Critical Raw Materials
With its patented mechanical process, SOLAR MATERIALS recovers all materials from discarded solar modules. The resulting secondary raw materials flow back into European value chains. Silicon and silver, in particular, are considered critical resources. By reclaiming them, the company helps secure Europe’s long-term supply of essential materials.
“Our technology is ready for the European market. We can deploy our recycling line to new locations in a very short time and build up infrastructure exactly where end-of-life modules are generated,” says Dr. Jan-Philipp Mai, CEO of SOLAR MATERIALS. “Every ton we recycle keeps valuable materials in Europe — silver, silicon, aluminium, copper, glass. That’s not just environmentally responsible; it also strengthens the EU’s economic independence.”
About SOLAR MATERIALS
Since 2021, Magdeburg-based SOLAR MATERIALS GmbH has recycled solar modules that have reached the end of their service life. Its fully automated process recovers all materials cost-effectively, including silicon and silver.
Certified as a specialist waste-management company since 2023, SOLAR MATERIALS launched the first industrial recycling line dedicated exclusively to solar modules in April 2025. The line has an annual capacity of 14,000 tons. For 2026, the company plans to triple its capacity and establish additional sites abroad.
Recovered secondary materials require up to 95% less energy and generate 80% fewer CO₂ emissions compared with primary raw materials.
SOLAR MATERIALS at Intersolar 2024
SOLAR MATERIALS and AGC Glass Europe close the loop for solar glass
SOLAR MATERIALS and AGC Glass Europe close the loop for solar glass
Magdeburg, September 30, 2025 – SOLAR MATERIALS, the German recycling company for solar panels, has entered into a cooperation with AGC Glass Europe, one of Europe’s leading flat glass manufacturers. Together, both partners will use glass recovered from end-of-life solar panels in AGC’s float glass production.
Every solar panel consists of around 70 percent glass. Until now, much of this glass was lost after dismantling. With its patented, chemical-free process, SOLAR MATERIALS achieves a recovery rate of 98 percent of a panel’s total weight – including glass, aluminum, silicon, and copper. The recovered flat glass cullet is of such purity that it can directly re-enter the value chain. One tonne of cullet saves 1.2 tonnes of raw material and avoids 0.7 tonnes of CO₂ emissions. AGC Glass Europe will use this cullet in its float glass furnaces. The cooperation creates a closed loop: glass from solar panels becomes new glass for example for buildings.
“Our aim is to integrate our recycling solution into the European value chain as efficiently as possible,” says Dr. Jan-Philipp Mai, co-founder and CEO of SOLAR MATERIALS. “Since glass is the heaviest part of a solar panel, its reuse strongly reduces logistics and secures recycling quotas. With AGC, we have a partner who turns our cullet into new products on an industrial scale. Our Magdeburg site is the model for further cooperation across Europe.”
Dr. Marc Foguenne, Vice-President Sustainability at AGC Glass Europe, adds: “We believe in supporting PV panel recycling startups like SOLAR MATERIALS that are developing innovative and diverse technologies. This is essential to collect, sort and treat the immense and growing volume of PV panel waste generated in Europe. When processed correctly, the resulting cullet is of exceptionally high purity and can be fed back into our float glass production in a fully circular model, creating new glass for buildings and automotive windshields, right here in Europe. This is a significant step in our journey towards our sustainability goals of cutting CO2 emissions and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.”
For SOLAR MATERIALS, the partnership is a milestone in expanding its network of industrial users of recycled glass. It also shows how local value chains can be built: collection, recycling, and production remain within Europe, saving resources and cutting emissions.
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SOLAR MATERIALS at Intersolar 2024
Firmenstaffel 2025
Erstes Rennen, klare Ziele – und am Ende Platz 126!
Für die Solar Pacers war es Premiere: Der Firmenstaffellauf im Elbauenpark, bei dem über 1.000 Teams an den Start gingen. Jedes Team bestand aus fünf Läuferinnen und Läufern, die jeweils rund drei Kilometer zurücklegen.
Unser Ziel: unter die Top 400 kommen. Für ein neu formiertes Team kein kleiner Anspruch.
Doch mit guter Abstimmung, klarer Rollenverteilung und ein paar Taktikgesprächen vorab gingen die Solar Racers fokussiert an den Start. Der Ballon, der die Staffelstab-Übergabe markieren sollte, überlebte leider nur den ersten Wechsel. Gut, dass unsere Trikots in Neonorange unübersehbar waren🧡
Am Ende stand Platz 126 – ein Ergebnis, das sich sehen lassen kann.
Wir sind stolz auf unsere Läufer und den starken Zusammenhalt im Team.
Ein Dankeschön an die Veranstalter, alle Mitlaufenden und die Fans entlang der Strecke – wir kommen wieder!
SOLAR MATERIALS at Intersolar 2024
E-waste 2025
Unlocking Value from the Waste of Tomorrow
At this year’s E-Waste World Conference & Expo in Frankfurt, experts, innovators, and industry leaders gathered to discuss one of the fastest-growing waste streams on the planet: electronic waste. OF course SOLAR MATERIALS and Circular Silicon joined the conversation.
When Solar Power Turns to Scrap
Few realize that solar panels, once symbols of clean energy, are becoming part of the e-waste problem. After about 25–30 years of use, panels reach the end of their lifecycle. What remains is a layered structure of glass, plastic, silicon, and silver—too valuable to discard, too complex to recycle without the right technology.
Reclaiming What Should Never Be Lost
E-waste is more than just discarded electronics. It is a reservoir of rare and critical materials. In solar cells, elements like silicon and silver play vital roles. Each cell contains just a fraction, but on a global scale, the total is immense. Without dedicated recycling solutions, these non-renewable materials are lost forever. That is why SOLAR MATERIALS and Circular Silicon have taken on this challenge—and rethought recycling from the ground up. By developing new processes that go beyond conventional methods, we have made it possible to recover silicon and silver from end-of-life solar panels. It’s a shift that doesn’t just manage the waste—it turns it into a resource. And it’s what finally makes the solar industry truly green.
Closing the Loop, One Cell at a Time
Recycling is not a side act of the green transition—it is a main stage. Effective e-waste recycling feeds the circular economy. It transforms discarded tech into new resources, reduces dependency on raw mining, and keeps valuable materials in use.
Conversations That Shape the Future
At our joint booth, SOLAR MATERIALS and Circular Silicon met with industry peers, researchers, and policymakers. Discussions circled around real solutions and scalable technology. The tone was clear: circularity is not optional—it is essential.
Looking Ahead
The E-Waste World Conference & Expo was not just a trade fair. It was a pulse check on where we stand—and where we need to go. We are proud to be part of the shift toward smarter recycling and a truly circular industries.
SOLAR MATERIALS at Intersolar 2024
exhibitions
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
