Material Passport Photovoltaics

Solar energy is a sustainable form of energy generation by nature. Nevertheless, or perhaps for this very reason, it is necessary to optimize the use of resources and all associated processes in the interest of sustainability in an integrated manner.

The following basic principles are applied:

• Optimization of material use: Saving resources through thinner wafers, less silver and thinner glass
  
• Optimizing efficiency: Higher performance values through optimized cell processes
• Design for durability: Reliability of the PV modules and system components
• Establishing material cycles: Material recovery (recycling) and waste avoidance

Added to this are ecological aspects:

• Reducing the carbon₂ footprint: Taking into account the entire value chain, from raw material extraction, transport and production to distribution and disposal
• Optimizing the ecological balance: Improving biological capacity and conducting life cycle assessments (LCA)
  

In the wake of tighter national and international (EU) regulations on sustainability and the management of hazardous substances, the verification of materials used is becoming increasingly important. A material passport serves as a central instrument for transparency, product safety and the future-proof recycling of materials – especially in the field of photovoltaics (PV).

Focus on critical substances – Why a material passport is indispensable

Regulatory requirements such as REACH place high demands on the declaration and traceability of harmful substances – not only during product approval, but also during the use phase and in the subsequent recycling process. A material passport provides the necessary basis for meeting these requirements.

In the PV sector, it must provide information in particular about potentially critical ingredients, such as fluorine compounds (F) or PFAS in backsheets, critical additives in encapsulation films, lead (Pb) in solders and heavy metals in glass.

In addition, the evaluation of the material purity of PV module fractions plays a central role in high-quality and economically viable recycling.

Transparency creates trust and future viability

A well-documented material passport is much more than a regulatory requirement – it is a key to reliable product design, reliable quality certification and efficient recycling.

• Data collection at the module level (module label, module data sheet from manufacturers / databases)
• Possibilities for material-related data collection (non-destructive and invasive measurement methods at the module level and on prepared module fragments (both on whole layer stacks and on separated material fragments – glass, polymers, cells)
  
• Possibilities for collecting electrical and reliability data (EL, PL, flasher, accelerated aging tests (DH, UV, PID, etc.)
• If yield data is available, comparison with reliability data and yield forecast data
  
• Possibilities of targeted material and performance testing to collect data from defined BOM combinations (BOM tester)