Review of Issues and Opportunities for Glass Supply for Photovoltaics Production at MultiTerawatt (TW) Scale

Low-iron sand is required for PV glass production, to make the glass highly transparent and reduce the absorption of solar energy. Additionally, glass manufacturing has significant emissions, with fossil fuels being the primary energy source. Recycling offers a promising partial solution, with some available techniques enabling clean recovery and reuse of end-of-life PV glass (cullet) for new panels.

Similarly, methods such as the Hot Knife and Delam processes could recover entire glass cover sheets for potential reuse in new PV modules. Furthermore, there is an opportunity to establish new glass factories with lower emissions through strategies such as hydrogen fuel adoption, electrification, and waste heat recovery.