Recovery and reuse rates for solar-grade silicon are very low, so there is much room for improvement. Recycling silicon used in PV is important for reducing carbon emissions, and R&D efforts should be stepped up now so that the technology is available for recycling and reuse markets when large numbers of modules begin to be scrapped. Recycling and reusing solar-grade silicon can also reduce the environmental impact of PV panels, as this material accounts for about half of the carbon footprint of the equipment. Technology to recover solar-grade silicon from used solar panels could transform the module recycling market. The value of silicon recovery could be higher if the recycling process could provide solar-grade silicon instead of metallurgical-grade silicon. Currently, the low-purity silicon typically recovered from used panels is worth about $2/kg, while the cost of solar-grade material is about $25/kg. However, the industry has a low tolerance for impurities in silicon intended for reuse.
