Teruel could become the hub for recycling photovoltaic panels, a bold vision advanced by the Aragon-based sustainability firm Ibersyd. The plan calls for investing around 2.5 million euros to build and commission a plant with an initial capacity of 1,000 tons per year to treat, reuse, and repurpose this waste in 2024. The venture is already exploring the market and has developed a production prototype that enables about 93 percent of recovered materials to be sold as market-ready capital goods.
The project, named the European Photovoltaic Recycling Center Cerfo, aims to plant its operations in one of the 33 municipalities within the project region. The Teruel area, which has faced economic shifts from the coal industry, sits within a 300-kilometer radius of substantial photovoltaic capacity potential up to 30 gigawatts when the area is fully utilized.
Founded in 2021 as a subsidiary of Ibersyd, Cerfo is now headquartered at the entrepreneurial hub of the Aragon Development Institute in Andorra. The venture currently employs six people and estimates that industrial-scale operations will create around 15 jobs once the facility is up and running.
At present, Spain has no recycling plants large enough to handle this waste stream, classified as electrical and electronic waste (RAEE), with an estimated 2,000 tons per year. The market remains small, with only a single player managing the entire process. The gap was clear to CEO Jesús Alijarde of Ibersyd, who explains that a comprehensive solution was missing and motivated the startup to begin researching viable options.
22,000 tons of waste projected by 2028
Energy researchers, led by the Center for Energy, Environmental and Technological Research (CIEMAT), project a conservative trajectory where roughly 10,000 tons of PV waste accumulate from 2022 to 2027, peaking at about 22,000 tons by 2028. Existing recycling facilities lack the capacity to meet this demand, underscoring Cerfo’s role as a pioneer in Spain and Europe dedicated entirely to PV panel recycling. A similar entrepreneurial push is also reported in Italy, supported by local partners tied to the sector.
Cerfo received a €420,000 grant last year through a call for R&D grants focused on the circular economy, a collaboration with Circe Technology Center. The Aragon Government’s Department of Economy, Planning, and Employment facilitated this support. The overall investment in the three-year project, running from 2021 to 2023, totals about one million euros. The team notes that the production process already delivers ready-to-market solutions, with opportunities for further improvements as the project scales to industrial levels, according to Alijarde.
If everything proceeds smoothly, the facility is slated to begin processing next year, with construction and commissioning in 2024. The initial output target remains 1,000 tons of waste per year, aligning with the aim to reclaim as much material from PV installations as possible. A PV park typically carries a 30-year life cycle, and Cerfo reports the ability to reuse 93 percent of the materials to date. The main components of a PV panel, ordered by weight, include glass, an aluminum frame, EVA copolymer, PV cells, a junction box, and a protective Tedlar sealing layer.
Cerfo’s progress is backed by strategic partnerships and ongoing validation of the recycling pathway, reinforcing a clear demand signal for a dedicated PV panel recycling facility across Iberia and neighboring markets. With aim to reduce waste from aging PV assets and improve material recovery, the project reflects a broader effort to close the loop in solar energy production and elevate the sustainability profile of renewable infrastructure in Europe.