Solar Materials has officially opened its industrial recycling plant for solar panels. With the world’s most advanced technology, the Magdeburg-based company offers a solution to the growing volume of old solar panels from the photovoltaic boom. In its first expansion stage, the plant will recycle more than 350,000 panels — about 7,000 tons — every year.
At the center of the facility is a unique mechanical recycling process developed by SOLAR MATERIALS erials. Unlike traditional methods that involve high temperatures, chemicals, or simple crushing and sorting, their process carefully separates the panels into individual materials step by step. This means all valuable raw materials — like glass, aluminum, copper, plastics, silicon classified as a critical material by the EU, and even silver — are recovered cleanly and ready for reuse.
“We see ourselves first and foremost as a technology and raw materials company,” says co-founder and CEO Dr. Jan-Philipp Mai. Using recycled materials saves up to 95% of the energy compared to using new raw materials and cuts CO₂ emissions by up to 80%. These recovered materials are fed back into local industries, helping protect the environment and strengthen supply chains.
“Our vision is to move the solar industry towards a true circular economy,” Mai continues. Since founding SOLAR MATERIALS in 2021, the three founders — Dr. Jan-Philipp Mai, Fridolin Franke, and Jan Bargel — have been focused on providing the fast-growing solar sector with a sustainable and affordable end-of-life solution for solar panels.
By opening this new industrial line, SOLAR MATERIALS sends a clear message: the future of solar energy is a sustainable, circular economy.
“With this achievement, we’ve shown that we can develop and industrialize new technology in less than four years,” adds co-founder and CTO Jan Bargel. “We stay focused on the key processes and work closely with partners from industry and research to keep improving and innovating.”
Germany, where the global solar boom first began, is now also leading the way in recycling. “We want to use this head start to massively expand our recycling capacity in the next few years — not only in Germany, but starting this year with our first international site in Italy,” explains co-founder and CMO Fridolin Franke.
The amount of solar panels reaching end-of-life is growing fast and is expected to exceed one million tons per year by 2030. “With this new recycling line, we’ve reached an important milestone — not just for SOLAR MATERIALS, but for the entire industry. We’re proving that economic success and sustainability can go hand in hand. Recycling solar panels is our contribution to a clean, efficient, and future-ready energy system.”
