Detta arbete syftade till att svara dels på vilka solcellstyper som finns på den svenska marknaden och vad som skiljer dem åt, dels hur förutsättningarna ekonomiskt ser ut för solceller i Sverige. Arbetets metod bestod av en litteraturstudie och en marknadssammanställning. Resultatet visade på att solceller finns etablerade på den svenska marknaden och att det är monokristallina och polykristallina kiselsolceller som dominerar utbudet. Kiselceller har fördelen att grundämnet finns i stor koncentration på jorden men de kräver en energikrävande process för tillverkningen. Vidare visade resultatet att en mindre del av marknaden utgörs av tunnfilmssolceller av CIGS och CdTe. Tunnfilmerna har en tjocklek ned till en mikrometer och har en tillverkningsprocess som är enklare och mindre energikrävande. Förutsättningarna för solceller i Sverige är betydligt sämre än för sydligare länder och även inom Sverige varierar förutsättningarna stort. Endast med hjälp av flera subventioner kan solceller i mindre skala göras ekonomiskt hållbara idag. / The purpose of this paper was to examine which types of solar cells are available on the Swedish market, their technical properties and the economic conditions for photovoltaics in Sweden. The method consisted of a literature study and a market survey. The result showed that photovoltaics are well established on the Swedish market and that it is monocrystalline and polycrystalline silicon solar cells which dominate. Silicon cells have the advantage of an unlimited supply of the chemical element. However the manufacturing process is an energy consuming. Furthermore, the results showed that a small part of the market is made up of thin film solar cells of CIGS and CdTe. Thin films have a thickness down to a micrometer and the manufacturing process is easier and less energy consuming. The condition for photovoltaics in Sweden is less favorable than in countries situated further south. The prerequisite also varies largely in Sweden. Only with the help of subsidies may photovoltaic on a smaller scale be made economically viable today.

The solar industry is one of the fastest-growing energy industries in the global market. The reason is a combination of the falling prices of modules and inverters and increased conversion to fossil-free energy production. When a photovoltaic module reaches the end of its life it needs to be replaced and discarded, which can create a sustainability problem depending on how this is managed. Today, less than 10% of the global photovoltaic waste is recycled. Only the European Union has implemented photovoltaic waste regulations in the form of the WEEE Directive, which requires that 85% of the waste is collected and at least 80% of waste collected must be prepared for reuse or recycling. This master thesis examines the energy technical, economic, and political conditions for a Swedish photovoltaic recycling plant. This is done through a literary study that is enhanced with calculations of future potential waste volumes and their economic value. As an alternative to a Swedish plant, the energy consumption for transporting waste to existing recycling plants in Europe is evaluated. The photovoltaic technologies included in this work are silicon-based mono-and polycrystalline modules, cadmium tellurium (CdTe) and copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS). Based on the calculations and the literature study, the energy technical conditions are good and not a barrier for a potential facility, the political conditions are deficient, and regulations need further development. The economic conditions constitute the largest barrier as waste volumes are not large enough for a Swedish facility to be economically profitable until 2042. The energy consumption for transport to existing recycling plants in Europe was 22 MJ/module for silicon-based mono-and polycrystalline modules and 10 MJ/module for CdTe modules. Which is a good alternative to a Swedish plant as collection processes and recycling processes are already in place.