Setting up a solar panel recycling facility
Most new facilities get the sequence wrong. They choose machines before they know what they are permitted to process or who will buy the output. Here
01
The six inputs
- 01
Feedstock composition
The proportion of framed single-glass, framed double-glass, frameless, thin-film and damaged modules. This decides which stations apply and what clamping and containment are needed.
- 02
Through-put and shift pattern
Modules per hour or tonnes per hour, and how many shifts. Through-put and automation level are traded against each other, not chosen independently.
- 03
Output specification
Which fractions you will sell or store and to what acceptance criteria. This is the input that most directly sets the number of separation steps.
- 04
Site constraints
Footprint, headroom, floor loading, power, compressed air, drainage, module entry and container exit.
- 05
Labour model
Operators per shift and the labour cost per hour. Automation is bought with capital and repaid in labour, so both numbers matter.
- 06
Growth path
What you intend to add next — a second station, a second shift, a separation stage — and when. This is the cheapest input to design in and the most expensive to retrofit.
02
Why the output specification does the most work
Ask two plants with the same feedstock and the same tonnage what line they need and you can get two different answers, because one is supplying a float-glass processor and the other is supplying an aggregate application that accepts a coarser material.
The difference is one or two separation steps, a different collection arrangement and a different tuning of the glass stage. Get this wrong in one direction and you own equipment that never runs; get it wrong in the other and your containers get rejected. It is worth one phone call to your downstream buyer before you sign anything.
03
What a usable quotation contains
- The station configuration and sequence, drawn against your footprint rather than a generic layout.
- The scope boundary stated explicitly: equipment included, equipment excluded, and what you supply locally.
- Utility requirements: power, compressed air, extraction, drainage and any interface drawings.
- Foundation and civil interface drawings, so the building work is not waiting on the machine.
- The output configuration: how each fraction is collected, contained and weighed.
- A commissioning plan naming the module types that will be used for the trial.
- The consumable and recommended spares list, so spares are budgeted with the machine.
- The growth path in writing: which station can be added next and where it goes.
04
How to compare two quotes
| Compare | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Stations included | A cheaper quote with a station missing is not cheaper — it is a different scope |
| Automation level | The largest single driver of capital cost and of the labour the plant will need |
| Containment and extraction scope | Frequently excluded; expensive to add once the building is occupied |
| Transfer and output handling | Decides whether the line runs or keeps stopping |
| Commissioning included | On whose modules, and does it include operator training |
| Consumables and spares | Known from day one, or discovered during the first month of operation |
| Growth path stated | Turns a fixed purchase into a line that can be extended |
05
Build a first configuration
The selector is process logic only — no capacity, yield or price figures are generated.
This selector applies process logic only. It tells you which stations your description requires, recommends and rules out — it does not generate capacity, yield or price figures, because those follow from your own feedstock and market.
Send the six inputs
Even approximate answers will get you a configuration to react to. The usual outcome of the first exchange is that one or two of the inputs turn out to matter more than expected.
FAQ
Questions
What information do I need before requesting a line quote?
Six things: the module mix and condition, the target through-put and shift pattern, the output specification you have to meet, the site constraints, your labour model, and what you intend to add later. Approximate answers are useful; missing answers are what cause a quote to be priced against the wrong scope.
How do I compare quotations from different suppliers?
Compare scope, not price. Check which stations are included, what automation level is being offered, whether containment and extraction are in the scope, whether transfer and output handling are included, and whether commissioning and training are part of the offer. A lower price usually means a narrower scope, not a better deal.
Can the specification change after the order?
Some things can and some cannot. Settings, tooling and batch arrangement are adjustable. Adding a station, raising transfer heights or extending the building's extraction system are not, which is why the growth path belongs in the original specification.
How do I know the through-put figure is realistic?
Ask what feedstock the figure is stated for. A rated figure is normally quoted for a defined module type and condition; your achieved tonnage depends on your actual mix. If a supplier quotes a number without a feedstock, the number is not yet useful.
Send us the module mix and the through-put
Tell us what arrives at your gate and what has to leave. The engineering team replies with the station configuration, the scope boundary and the information still missing before drawings start.
- Modules — framed single-glass, double-glass, frameless, thin film, mixed
- Condition — intact, or a meaningful share damaged or bent
- Through-put — modules per hour or t/h, and your shift pattern
- Output — which fractions you sell or store, and to what specification
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