Laser Method Recovers Silver From Aged Solar Panels
Researchers led by the University of Glasgow report a laser-based process that separates solar cell layers for material recovery.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Energy
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Researchers led by the University of Glasgow developed a laser-induced delamination method for recycling aged silicon solar modules. The method achieved over 95% selective silver extraction from aged solar panels.
Why it matters
Dominant recycling routes rely on shredding or bulk thermal treatment that generates mixed fractions, while EVA adheres strongly to cell interfaces. A process that separates these layers could make recovery of valuable materials from end-of-life panels more practical.
Tests used a 1,064 nm fiber laser on modules aged roughly 10 to 13 years, with EVA separation beginning near 12 W to 14 W and nearly complete at 18 W to 20 W and higher. The source does not address performance on full-size commercial modules.
The players
University of Glasgow
A public research university in Scotland whose researchers led the development of the laser-induced delamination method.
The details
The process combines hot-knife glass removal with laser-induced delamination to separate the EVA encapsulant from silicon cells, producing separate streams of EVA films, busbars, and silicon-rich powder. The powder was then leached sequentially with 1 M sodium hydroxide to remove aluminum and with an iron(III) chloride-choline chloride brine to extract silver.
Timeline
Article on the laser-based recycling method published November 6, 2026.
Roadmap
Dominant recycling routes for photovoltaic modules rely on shredding or bulk thermal treatment that produces mixed fractions. This laser-based approach offers a route that separates the EVA encapsulant from silicon cells instead.
Separating solar cell layers could eventually help recover silver and other materials from end-of-life panels rather than losing them in mixed fractions. The source does not state when such recovery could reach commercial use.
The takeaway
Separating panel layers before processing may let recyclers recover materials that mixed-fraction methods lose. Scaling beyond laboratory samples remains the key question for practical adoption.
Further reading
Explore more on Energy developments in solar panel recycling and materials recovery.
Source note: This article includes information reported by pv magazine International.
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