Svea Solar behind new roadmap – solar panels to last longer

Solar power is the fastest-growing energy source in Sweden, accounting for roughly four percent of the country's electricity production. A solar panel remains usable for up to 40 years, but after that there is currently no solution for how the panels should be handled. Together with Axfoundation, KTH and stakeholders from across the value chain, Svea Solar initiated the CircSolar project.

The CircSolar project today launches Sweden's first circular roadmap for solar panels. The roadmap's conclusion is clear: functioning panels should be used for longer, the value of materials should be captured through specialized material recycling, and producer responsibility needs to work in practice and cover all players in the market.

"As the industry's leading actor, we initiated this roadmap because we see both a responsibility and an opportunity to help shape a more circular future. Extending the lifetime of solar panels and ensuring they are handled responsibly at end of life must become a natural part of how this industry grows," says Mattias Ringqvist, CEO of Svea Solar.

"The next step for the solar industry is to make it more attractive to keep, maintain and optimize functioning installations than to replace panels prematurely. That requires business models that reward long lifespan and sustained high performance over time. As one of Sweden's largest players in solar energy and energy solutions, we see it as our responsibility to drive that development," says Alison Wren, Head of Residential Hardware, Svea Solar.

The roadmap also highlights the need for better compliance and oversight around producer responsibility. Svea Solar supports the requirement that all companies installing solar panels on the Swedish market should contribute to future collection and treatment on equal terms – not least to create a fair competitive landscape for the companies that already take responsibility for their customers' installations throughout their entire lifetime.

Specialized material recycling for solar panels is currently being built across Europe. According to CircSolar's roadmap, Sweden can build capacity in stages: first through European collaboration, and later through Swedish infrastructure as volumes grow.

Fact box: The roadmap in brief

CircSolar and the circular roadmap show how Sweden can redirect a growing material flow from potential waste into resources that continue to create value.

• Extend the lifetime of functioning solar panels through service, repair and reinstallation.
• Invest in specialized material recycling for solar panels.
• Strengthen producer responsibility, traceability and data on future panel flows.

Source: Circular Roadmap for Solar Panels in Sweden, 2026.

Link to the roadmap: https://ax-images.b-cdn.net/uploads/2026/08/Circular-Roadmap-for-Solar-Panels-in-Sweden.pdf

About CircSolar
CircSolar is a collaborative project between Svea Solar, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Axfoundation, El-Kretsen, Stena Recycling and REMONDIS. The project is co-funded by Vinnova and was initiated in 2023 to accelerate the transition to a more circular system for solar panels in Sweden.