As Europe’s solar fleet matures, the industry is entering a new phase: managing end-of-life (EOL) assets sustainably while maintaining competitiveness. The QUASAR project shows how a circular economy for photovoltaics can be achieved – by combining strategic planning, technological innovation and digitalisation.
Plan circularity from the start
A central insight is that circularity must start long before end-of-life. Repowering and lifecycle planning can extend the operational lifetime of solar assets by 20–30 years while reducing waste volumes and overall system costs. Rather than treating decommissioning as a final step, QUASAR highlights the need to integrate EOL considerations from the outset of project development.
Move from recycling to real circularity
At the same time, recycling technologies are advancing rapidly. Material recovery rates of up to 80–90% are technically achievable for key materials such as silicon, silver and polymers. However, most current approaches still rely on “open-loop” recycling. Achieving real circularity will require a shift toward closed-loop systems, where recovered materials are fed back into new PV module production.
Use digitalisation as an enabler
Digitalisation emerges as a key enabler across the value chain. Tools such as AI-based health assessment, Digital Product Passports and Federated Digital Twins provide the transparency and data exchange needed to scale reuse, repowering and high-quality recycling.
A circular PV industry is technically feasible – but requires systemic change.
Overall, QUASAR demonstrates that a circular PV industry is within reach. By recovering high-purity materials and improving system efficiency, the sector can reduce its reliance on primary resources and cut carbon emissions by up to 45%.
The remaining challenge is no longer technological – but the large-scale implementation of circular solutions across the industry.
For a deeper dive, download our technical brief summarising the latest QUASAR publications:
