Holistic Review of Open-access Literature on Circular Economy of PV Modules

The global expansion of photovoltaic (PV) installations will result in substantial volumes of end-of-life (EOL) modules in the coming decades, making the transition toward a circular economy (CE) necessary. This paper presents a holistic review on CE of PV modules based, on a systematic analysis of open-access publications. This body of literature was selected to maximise transparency for readers without academic subscriptions. The novelty of this review lies in considering five different perspectives at the same time (technological, environmental, legal, economical and societal), showing interconnections, conflict of interests and research gap. The review reveals a research bias toward end-of-life recycling, particularly material recovery processes, while higher-value R-strategies such as lifetime extension, (repair and reuse) are significantly underrepresented. Environmental assessments consistently show that extending module lifetime and enabling reuse provide greater overall benefits than recycling alone, despite recycling remaining essential for waste reduction. Regulatory frameworks, which are most advanced in the European Union, support PV recycling but insufficiently incentivize reuse and repair, while economic analyses highlight the dependence of circular business models on policy support and market conditions. Societal factors such as consumer trust, certification, and awareness are identified as critical but understudied enablers of circular practices. The findings underscore the need for integrated, interdisciplinary approaches to advance a truly circular PV sector that aligns technological innovation with environmental performance, regulatory coherence, economic viability, and social acceptance.