Australia’s Swinburne University of Technology has launched the Si-Zero Project, an international initiative aimed at creating an automated, zero-carbon process for recycling solar panels using robotics and green energy.
The AUD 3 million program unites partners from Australia, India, Indonesia, and the United States, combining expertise across material recovery, high-temperature processing, and electrochemical refining. The consortium includes India’s IIT Hyderabad, Indonesia’s Gadjah Mada University and national research agency BRIN, and the Sadoway Labs Foundation from the U.S. The project seeks to recover ultra-pure silicon (99.99999%) from waste panels—an essential component for manufacturing new photovoltaic cells—while eliminating the energy-intensive, labor-heavy steps typical of current recycling methods.
Current solar recycling practices rely heavily on manual dismantling and thermal or chemical treatments, which consume substantial energy and produce significant emissions. Swinburne’s proposed system aims to automate these operations through robotics powered by renewable electricity, achieving a low or near-zero carbon footprint.
Each partner in the Si-Zero consortium brings a distinct technological advantage. Swinburne will contribute its electric refining process, capable of selectively removing impurities from silicon. IIT Hyderabad will focus on high-temperature and electro slag refining, leveraging collaboration with industrial partner Greenko. Meanwhile, Sadoway Labs will apply extreme electrochemistry techniques operating above 540°C to decarbonize industrial refining, and Indonesian researchers will develop localized methods and train scientists to integrate these innovations into national PV manufacturing.
For emerging economies such as India and Indonesia, which are rapidly scaling solar capacity under domestic manufacturing initiatives, localized recycling could offer a dual benefit: lowering production costs and reducing import dependence. “Recycling end-of-life panels can reduce import dependency, cut production costs, and lower environmental impact,” said IIT Hyderabad’s Ashok Kamaraj, noting its alignment with India’s clean energy and circular economy goals.
Indonesia’s participation underscores another strategic angle—technology transfer. This could accelerate the country’s transition from solar deployment to full-scale production and recycling capabilities. The Si-Zero project will begin with fundamental research and process optimization, before advancing to demonstration-scale systems. The consortium includes 10 PhD students and 5 research fellows across the four countries, reflecting a long-term investment in developing the next generation of solar materials scientists.
As decommissioned solar panels begin to accumulate after 2030, particularly from utility-scale facilities, scalable recycling solutions will be essential to maintaining the environmental integrity of solar power.
