PV Cycle was founded in July 2007 to implement the photovoltaic industry’s commitment to set up a voluntary take back and recycling programme for end-of-life-modules and to take responsibility for PV modules throughout their entire value chain.

Through PV Cycle, the photovoltaic industry wants to install an overall waste management and recycling policy which achieves the highest economically feasible and environmentally responsible collection and recycling of PV modules. “We expect to collect some 7,000 tonnes of modules in the first year. 3,000 of which will be in Germany,” says Clyncke.

While contractors have already been sourced for collection services, this month PV Cycle has posted an invitation to tender for the recycling phase of its operations. The invitation to tender concerns the recycling of end-of-life photovoltaic modules for the estimated quantity of 3.000 tonnes and every candidate has the possibility to set a price for one or more PV technologies. The Invitation to tender can be obtained by the following email address: info@pvcycle.org.

The costs of providing the take-back and recycling programme is “covered by contribution fees paid by the PV module manufacturers,” explains Clyncke. In this way, the services are provided “free of charge for end consumers”.

Clyncke estimates that 85% of modules sold in Europe are covered by PV Cycle, and welcomes those manufacturers that have still not joined to do so.

For additional information:

PV Cycle