# University of Glasgow laser recycles silver from old solar panels with an estimated 84% less energy

- Published: 2026-11-12 05:25 UTC
- Section: Planet › Ecology & recycling
- Tags: solar panel recycling, laser delamination, silver recovery, EVA encapsulant, fibre laser 1064 nm, University of Glasgow, Watt Laser, photovoltaic waste, Communications Materials
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-5043376ecead0c84025c115f_university_of_glasgow/

**Researchers developed a laser method to release the encapsulant and recover silver from decommissioned panels; they estimate 84% less power. Scale-up with Watt Laser is being explored.**

![University of Glasgow laser recycles silver from old solar panels with an estimated 84% less energy](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/dbca3ae2821b5ec0.jpg)
*ecoinventos.com*

Researchers at the University of Glasgow's James Watt School of Engineering have developed a laser-based method for recovering silver and silicon from end-of-life solar panels, according to gla.ac.uk. The authors estimate that it reduces the power used during recycling by 84%. The work is published in Communications Materials, and the team is now working with the Glasgow company Watt Laser Ltd to explore making the technique commercially available. [1]

Silver makes up 0.05% of a panel's weight but about two-thirds of its scrap value. It is held in place by the polymer EVA, which keeps the cells sealed for two decades and beyond. Conventional recovery requires heating to 450-600°C or soaking the panel in toxic chemicals. Global solar capacity has reached 3 terawatts, and more than a million tonnes of panel waste are expected by 2030, rising to more than 200 million tonnes by 2050. [1]

## Laser delamination of the encapsulant

The Fraunhofer Centre for Silicon Photovoltaics in Germany supplied cell stacks from decommissioned commercial panels. The Glasgow team scanned the cells with a 1064 nm fibre laser. The light passes almost straight through the transparent EVA and is absorbed by the silicon beneath, heating the interface between the two. Above a power threshold, the EVA came off the cell as an intact film. [1]

## Silver recovery and scale-up

Metallic busbars can then be separated physically, leaving a powder that mainly contains silicon, aluminium and silver. Dilute sodium hydroxide removes the aluminium, and a brine of iron chloride and choline chloride dissolves the silver. Silver was recovered with more than 99% selectivity in one panel type. The process avoids the nitric acid leaching used conventionally, and the authors describe it as the most effective method of removing silver from solar panels demonstrated to date. [1]

The work was carried out within the EU APOLLO project together with the REACT centre led by the University of Glasgow. The first author is Bashayer Alsulami; Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University in Saudi Arabia and the Fraunhofer Centre are co-authors. [1]

Declan Brannagan of Watt Laser said the method uses standard industrial fibre lasers, the kind already used for marking and cutting. Moving from a single laser head to multi-head systems that handle full panels is an engineering task the company understands, he said. The company expects scale-up to take less than a year but says an industrial end user is needed to confirm throughput. [1]

## Sources

1. [gla.ac.uk](https://www.gla.ac.uk/news/headline_1302616_en.html)
2. [ecoinventos.com](https://ecoinventos.com/investigadores-escoceses-desarrollan-un-laser-que-separa-el-plastico-de-paneles-solares-viejos-utilizando-un-84-menos-de-energia)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-5043376ecead0c84025c115f_university_of_glasgow/