The Sustainability Research Center Freiburg (LZN) has been looking for research projects in the field of “Sustainable Materials, Products, and Components” that combine digitalization, artificial intelligence, and R technologies for circular value creation. The aim of the call for proposals is to promote new innovative approaches that take ecological, technological, and social requirements into account in an integrative manner, thereby supporting the transition to sustainable value creation systems.
PV-CYCLE was selected as the winning project. The research project addresses one of the key challenges of the energy transition: the sustainable handling of end-of-life photovoltaic modules. The project team consists of Martin Huschka (Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics, EMI), Dr. Sebastian Kilchert (Institute for Sustainable Technical Systems, INATECH), and Christian Schill (Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE). The project will run from January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2027. The total funding volume amounts to €400,000.
In the coming years, the number of end-of-life PV systems will increase significantly. While recycling processes have been used only to a limited extent due to high costs, second-life approaches such as reuse or refurbishment offer economically attractive alternatives. However, reliable condition data for the modules is lacking for scalable implementation. With the mandatory introduction of a digital product passport for PV components by the Ecodesign Regulation from 2027, a regulatory framework will be created that will bring both new requirements and great opportunities for a functioning circular economy.
This is precisely where PV-CYCLE comes in. The project is developing a legally compliant and practical digital product passport for PV systems and linking it to the SnapLCA AI system. This should enable sustainable end-of-life strategies in near real time – from reuse and refurbishment to recycling. Together with industry partners, the data obtained will be used to translate circular strategies into marketable business models.