FOstering a Recycled European Silicon supply

Informazioni relative al progetto

FORESi

ID dell’accordo di sovvenzione: 101138503

DOI

10.3030/101138503

Data della firma CE 7 Dicembre 2023

Data di avvio 1 Gennaio 2024

Data di completamento 31 Dicembre 2026

Finanziato da

• Digital, Industry and Space

Costo totale

€ 8 958 916,46

Contributo UE

€ 6 999 848,75

Coordinato da

BAY ZOLTAN ALKALMAZOTT KUTATASI KOZHASZNU NONPROFIT KFT.
Hungary

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - FORESi (FOstering a Recycled European Silicon supply)

Periodo di rendicontazione: 2024-01-01 al 2025-06-30

Sintesi del contesto e degli obiettivi generali del progetto

The FORESi project is a 3-year EU-funded initiative launched in January 2024 pioneering the first industrial demonstration of a fully circular silicon value chain. By fostering a recycled European silicon supply, FORESi aims to enhance Europe’s energy sovereignty and resource independence through innovative recycling solutions for end-of-life (EoL) photovoltaic (PV) panels.
With the rapid expansion of renewable energy and electric mobility, the demand for high-purity silicon is surging. However, European Union remains heavily dependent on imported silicon, posing economic and strategic challenges. FORESi addresses this issue by developing a sustainable, cradle-to-cradle recycling process that recovers silicon from discarded PV panels and repurposes it for new PV and electric vehicle (EV) battery applications.
The project will demonstrate the technical feasibility, economic viability, and environmental benefits of this recycling approach at an industrial scale. By refining silicon recovery, purification and reprocessing, FORESi will ensure that the recovered silicon meets the stringent quality standards required for next-generation energy applications. The ultimate goal is to lay the groundwork for a European-wide industrial-scale recycling facility, reducing reliance on raw material imports and minimizing waste.
Beyond silicon recovery, FORESi will establish an integrated online platform to streamline the collection of EoL PV modules, facilitating efficient logistics and processing. Additionally, the project will develop a standardized PV module testing methodology to assess their potential for reuse and repair, extending the lifespan of existing solar technologies before they reach the recycling stage.
By bridging technological advancements with industrial implementation, FORESi is set to transform Europe’s approach to silicon resource management, promoting circularity, sustainability, and energy resilience. This initiative will not only support the EU’s green transition but also strengthen its position as a leader in sustainable high-tech materials and advancing a circular silicon economy in Europe.

Lavoro eseguito dall’inizio del progetto fino alla fine del periodo coperto dalla relazione e principali risultati finora ottenuti

New processes are developed for PV logistics collection, reuse, and repair at EU level together with an online platform and the established test protocol is currently under evaluation and optimizing the test procedures.
The installation of a new built automatised dismantling machine for EoL PV panels in the recycling line is the first step towards the turnkey factory to be designed based on the specifications defined during the first project phase. In parallel, the separation process to separate Si from glass-Si laminates has been developed as a multi-step approach implementing several mechanical process steps combined with a chemical process yielding a recovery rate for Si > 95%.
A scalable process to purify recovered silicon from different waste scraps in order to produce High Pure Silicon has been investigated in industrial environments. This will enable the planned production of new solar cells with up to 15% upcycled Silicon from EoL PV modules by late 2025 for installation on the pilot site in 2026 thus demonstrating the circularity potential of the PV value chain.
Data from all the technologies along the FORESi process chain are contributing to the LCA, Carbon footprint assessment and TEA assessment. A comprehensive field study started with normative assessment and barrier identification in PV reuse and recycling schemes in Europe. This will lead to targeted EU policy recommendations to increase the sustainability and future resilience of the European Silicon PV value chain that is underlined by the model developed to estimate future PV waste volume streams for the coming years and being an important parameter for the FORESi business model.
The scale-up of FORESi innovations on the long run is supported with realistic exploitation strategies, inter-cluster cooperation and stakeholder’s engagement. Synergies with other projects working on similar topics such as the PHOTOreUSE Cluster – circular Recycling of End-of-life Photovoltaics Waste for Panels Reuse with the sister projects: EVERPV, RETRIEVE, APOLLO.
Conferences, panels and webinars to present the project, supported by communication materials such as a roll up and poster and scientific papers have also been a way to ensure the outreach, hence facilitating the scale-up of FORESi.

Progressi oltre lo stato dell’arte e potenziale impatto previsto (incluso l’impatto socioeconomico e le implicazioni sociali più ampie del progetto fino ad ora)

FORESi Project delivers the first industrial demonstration of a cradle-to-cradle silicon value chain in Europe, establishing a replicable and scalable circular model for the production of pure silicon from the recovery and purification of the latter from EoL PV panels and related WEEE.
The improved methodology for testing PV panels is integrated in a designed automated test equipment. This machine concept involves a simplified sequence of quality checkpoints to sort EoL panels for re-use and repair. A dedicated pop-up sorting center was established and staff trained on site.
A PV Collection Logistics platform for recycle and reuse, together with the integrated ‘Smart Waste’ as virtual space is detailing a precise definition of the key parameters required, involving various stakeholders in electronic waste management. This online service will subsequently be scaled up at European scale.
The Fully Automatised Dismantling Technology for EoL PV modules has been developed and installed in the selected industrial area. Improvements on capacity and success rate are underway.
The technology line developed for the separation for glass/Si laminate includes four steps combining mechanical and chemical processes yielding extracted Si at a purity level 96.7% which is very promising. Scalability is under discussion.
Studying the methods to apply for the industrial purification process from different EoL waste scraps to Highly Pure Silicon is an iterative process. Materials have been exchanged between the partners and planned tests are performed to prepare material delivery.
To achieve circular solar cells and modules with 15% recycled Silicon from EoL PV modules, the pre-gettering study conducted experiments on the thermal pre-treatment of wafers prior to cell processing.
The forecast of European PV installations expected in short, medium and long term contributes to the estimation of future PV waste flows and directing the business model for the PV recycling turnkey factory.