Meet the person who extends the lifespan of solar panels.

Dr. Do The Can and his colleagues have successfully developed a clean technology for recycling discarded solar panels, enabling the reuse of up to 92% of the panels.

From the " problem" of solar panel waste to a clean technology startup idea.

Aiming for sustainable development, Vietnam saw a boom in solar power projects between 2017 and 2020. Along with this project growth, the challenge of disposing of discarded solar panels after their lifespan (approximately 20 to 30 years), or dealing with panels damaged by natural disasters such as storms and floods, has also arisen.

There are three ways to dispose of discarded solar panels: storage, landfill, and recycling. Storage is only a short-term solution. Landfilling solar panels, which contain many heavy metals, can cause soil and water pollution. Therefore, the best solution is recycling.

The 5RTech startup project was created to anticipate the growing demand for processing discarded solar panels in Vietnam in the coming years, using clean, sustainable technologies that do not pollute the environment.

Currently, research is underway worldwide on technologies for processing solar panels. These technologies fall into two main categories: recycling that causes environmental pollution; and recycling that does not cause environmental pollution.

Recognizing this need, the DNIIT International Institute of Technology (a unit specializing in research and development of new technologies) at the University of Da Nang has come up with the idea of ​​finding a technological solution to recycle solar panels to extend their lifespan without causing environmental pollution.

To realize this idea, in 2021, the 5RTech Project, specializing in the processing of discarded solar panels, was launched. The person directly responsible for implementing this idea is Dr. Do The Can, a lecturer at Da Nang University of Technology.

We met Dr. Do The Can when he had just returned from a business trip to the United States to attend the Select USA Investment Summit 2025. “5RTech is the only Vietnamese clean energy startup project invited to this Summit,” Dr. Do The Can shared with a reporter from the Industry and Trade Newspaper.

Reusing 92% of discarded solar panels.

Introducing the waste solar panel processing technology line, Dr. Do The Can said that he and many colleagues spent two years researching and perfecting each stage of this production line.

Dr. Do The Can (in the middle) with the 5RTech technology line, featuring 100% of the technology researched by Vietnamese people.

The processing line consists of five main stages: battery sorting, separation of raw components, glass separation, crushing, and separation of metals and non-metals.

Explaining the recycling process of a discarded solar panel, Dr. Do The Can said that when a solar panel is fed into the system, its usage level is measured. If it can no longer be used (for electricity storage), the panel is sent to a section that separates the rough parts such as the aluminum frame; then comes the glass separation stage, the task of which is to separate the tempered glass from the panel as intact as possible; after that, the remaining part of the panel is sent to the crushing stage and finally the metal or non-metal parts are separated.

“Almost all components of a solar panel, once disassembled, can be reused as input materials for other industries such as aerospace, construction, and agriculture … The reuse rate of discarded solar panels after recycling reaches 92%,” said Professor Dr. Le Thanh Nhan, Director of the DNIIT International Institute of Technology.

When researching and developing (R&D) technology for recycling discarded solar cells, 5R-Tech targets two markets: domestic and international. The domestic market represents future demand, but the amount of discarded solar cells worldwide is already enormous.

“Disposing of discarded solar panels presents two major problems: if a low-cost method (landfill) is used, it will cause environmental pollution; if a clean recycling technology is used, the cost is very high. The 5R-Tech technology researched solves these problems. Firstly, it is a clean technology that does not cause environmental pollution. Secondly, the cost of disposing of discarded panels is lower than the revenue from reusing the components after processing. The production line can also be considered a prime example of a circular economy model,” commented Professor Dr. Le Thanh Nhan.

Our greatest pride is mastering technology.

Dr. Do The Can stated that the solar cell recycling technology product has received high praise from the global clean energy R&D community. For example, this project won first prize in a startup competition organized by the U.S. Department of State. The unit has also received numerous offers for research and technology transfer collaborations from many large domestic and international businesses and corporations.

A delegation of Vietnamese businesses attended the 2025 US Investment Summit, held from May 11 to 14, 2025 in the United States (Photo: Provided by the company).

However, according to Dr. Do The Can, his greatest pride is mastering the technology. “This is the first solar panel processing and recycling line in Vietnam, and 100% of the technology was researched by Vietnamese people. We are proud to have complete control over the technology,” Dr. Do The Can shared, adding: “The unique feature of this line is that each stage can operate independently. Depending on the needs and purposes of the business, individual modules can be ordered. For example, the first stage is sorting the panels because many businesses need to use this to measure the efficiency of solar panels.”

Sharing about the support in completing the technology line, Professor Le Thanh Nhan said that the project received active support from Da Nang city in providing funding for research and innovation. “In 2024, the project received 250 million VND from the city. This year, we continue to receive support from the city to successfully commercialize the product. This is extremely meaningful support for the project,” Professor Le Thanh Nhan stated.

Dr. Do The Can stated that the unit is striving to meet the requirements for operating in the R&D zone of the Da Nang High-Tech Park. “Da Nang City is very supportive, but currently the project does not meet the capital requirements. At the US Investment Summit 2025, in addition to learning from experiences to further improve the product, we met with many investors to seek opportunities for investment cooperation to perfect the most optimal technology process,” Dr. Do The Can informed.

Driven by the need to process discarded solar panels, Dr. Do The Can and his research team at Da Nang University have developed a clean recycling technology that allows for the reuse of up to 92% of the material without causing environmental pollution. The 5RTech project not only opens up prospects for efficient processing of discarded solar panels in Vietnam in the future, but also becomes a source of pride as the technology is entirely mastered by Vietnamese people.

Vu Le

Source: https://congthuong.vn/gap-nguoi-keo-dai-vong-doi-tam-pin-nang-luong-mat-troi-388277.html