Moving towards a circular photovoltaic economy in Europe - A system approach of the status, drivers, barriers, key policies and opportunities

Sammanfattning: With the projection of a growing amount of waste from photovoltaic (PV) panels in coming years, experts and researchers have highlighted the importance of the circular economy approach to face this challenge. With this approach, risks linked to the composition of PV panels, such as pollution and wastage of valuable materials, can be reduced. Therefore, this thesis aims to provide a systematic view of the PV sector's circularity activities in Europe, analyzing the context and current situation about eco-design, reuse and recycling initiatives regarding PV panels. Also, the goal is to identify the drivers and barriers to the transition towards a circular photovoltaic sector and key policy issues, goals, and opportunities to make it more circular. The Technological Innovation System (TIS) framework was used to guide the collection, analysis and presentation of data. The analysis of the emerging European Circular PV Innovation System (TIS) is based on an in-depth literature review, interviews with 12 representatives from the solar industry and government, and participation in three webinars. Firstly, the findings indicate that circularity activities exist in the PV sector in Europe. However, the European Circular PV Innovation System is so far only in its formative phase. Among the seven functions of the framework analysed (knowledge development, market formation, resource mobilization, entrepreneurial experimentation, development of external economies, influence on the direction of search and legitimation), the knowledge development one presents a high level of strength. In contrast, the market formation for reused and ecodesigned PV panels and recycled materials is the one that needs the most improvement. Secondly, the barriers blocking the solar sector to become more circular are identified, such as lack of supply guarantee due to the low quantity of waste, low market demand and lack of specific targets in legislation. Thirdly, recommendations are provided to policymakers on improving the European Circular PV Innovation System, such as financial incentives, standards and improvement in legislation.