BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM

Solar energy is rapidly rising, with panel prices dropping and global adoption increasing by around 24 percent annually over the past decade. The industry is projected to triple in size by 2028, thanks in part to the growing use of perovskite solar cells—a next-generation material that is significantly more energy-efficient than traditional silicon-based cells. However, there’s a catch: perovskite cells are notoriously difficult to recycle, leading to potential environmental concerns.

Now, researchers from Linköping University in Sweden may have found a way to solve that problem using a remarkably simple solution—water. Their newly developed recycling method successfully dismantles perovskite solar cells using only water and a few additives, recovering all key components without reducing efficiency. This innovation, detailed in the journal Nature, could pave the way for fully recyclable solar cells that reduce waste and drive down costs.

Breaking down solar cells—without toxic chemicals

Perovskite solar panels have gained traction for their high energy retention and affordability, converting up to 25 percent of solar energy into electricity compared to the 15 to 20 percent efficiency of conventional silicon-based cells. Despite these benefits, recycling them has been a major challenge.

The conventional recycling method involves breaking down the solar cells with dimethylformamide (DMF), a solvent commonly used in paint removers. While effective, DMF poses significant environmental hazards, leaching harmful chemicals into the ecosystem.

“We need to take recycling into consideration when developing emerging solar cell technologies,” said Feng Gao, a professor at Linköping University and co-author of the study. “If we don’t know how to recycle them, maybe we shouldn’t put them on the market at all.”

To address this, Gao and his team developed a water-based alternative that eliminates the need for toxic chemicals. Their approach incorporates sodium acetate, sodium iodide, and hypophosphorous acid, which work together to break down and recover the solar cell’s key components.

How the water-based recycling process works

The researchers heated their water-based solution to 80 degrees Celsius (176 degrees Fahrenheit) before submerging the perovskite cell. Within just 20 minutes, the cell’s components began to separate.

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  Sodium acetate helped break down the individual materials.

• Sodium iodide facilitated the reformation of perovskite crystals for reuse.

• Hypophosphorous acid stabilized the solution over time.

After submersion, the materials were run through a centrifuge spinning at 5,000 revolutions per minute for three minutes to isolate the perovskite crystals. The recovered material was then used to create a brand-new solar cell.

The result? The recycled solar cell retained its original efficiency, proving that the process does not degrade performance. The researchers repeated the experiment multiple times, with each recycled cell maintaining its energy output. This suggests that the method could extend the lifespan of perovskite solar cells significantly.

A game-changer for sustainable solar energy

The implications of this breakthrough are substantial. By making perovskite solar cells fully recyclable, this technique could drastically cut waste and resource depletion. The researchers estimate that their method reduces overall resource depletion by 96.6 percent compared to discarding old panels in landfills after a single life cycle.

This innovation arrives at a critical time. With global electricity demands surging—largely driven by power-hungry AI data centers and expanding digital infrastructures—there is an urgent need for more sustainable energy solutions. Although fossil fuels still dominate the global energy mix, more affordable and recyclable solar panels could accelerate the transition to renewables.

Challenges and the road ahead

While the water-based recycling method is promising, challenges remain in scaling it up for industrial use. Large-scale solar panel manufacturers will need to determine how this process integrates into their existing production lines and whether it remains cost-effective at mass production levels.

Still, the research offers an exciting glimpse into a future where solar panels can be used, recycled, and reused multiple times without compromising efficiency.

“We can recycle everything—covering glasses, electrodes, perovskite layers, and also the charge transport layer,” said Xun Xiao, a postdoctoral researcher at Linköping University and co-author of the study.

If widely adopted, this approach could make solar energy even greener, reducing reliance on rare and difficult-to-source materials while making renewable power more affordable for consumers.

As researchers continue refining this method and expanding its applications, one thing is clear: the future of solar energy is looking brighter—and a whole lot more sustainable.

Source study: Nature—Aqueous-based recycling of perovskite photovoltaics