{"id":12150,"date":"2026-09-21T14:27:32","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T12:27:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rotterdammakeithappen.nl\/?post_type=verhaal&p=12150"},"modified":"2026-09-21T14:30:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T12:30:13","slug":"the-solar-panel-you-can-actually-take-apart","status":"publish","type":"verhaal","link":"https:\/\/rotterdammakeithappen.nl\/en\/stories\/the-solar-panel-you-can-actually-take-apart\/","title":{"rendered":"The solar panel you can actually take apart"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”440220″]How do you make solar panels that last longer and generate less waste? For Zola Fung-A-Jou of Rotterdam-based Biosphere Solar, it comes down to perseverance and hard work. \u2018We want to change the industry standard so that every solar panel can be taken apart, repaired, and have its components reused.\u2019<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text]

Our solar panel lasts much longer. And at the end of its life, you can take everything out and use it again.<\/blockquote>[vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”186474″]Deep in the basement of Blue City<\/a>, the former Tropicana swimming paradise, Zola walks into the workshop of Biosphere Solar<\/a>. Three colleagues sit focused at their laptops; the rest of the space is filled with solar panels or parts of them. A heavy ball hangs from a wall frame, used to test the strength of panels. This is where work on a circular solar panel for sustainable solar energy is happening.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”12152″ caption=”yes” media_lightbox=”yes” media_width_percent=”100″ uncode_shortcode_id=”214720″][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”210523″]<\/p>\n

Rubber edge seal<\/strong><\/h3>\n

According to product engineer Zola, the problem with conventional solar panels is that everything is glued together, making repair impossible. \u2018Our solar panels consist of two glass plates with a rubber edge seal, just like double glazing. If one cell breaks, or new cells come onto the market, you simply cut along the edges, flip the panel open, and replace the components. Our solar panel lasts much longer as a result. And at the end of its life, you can take everything out and use it again.\u2019<\/p>\n

Processed into asphalt<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Solar panels currently last twenty to thirty years. In the worst case, they are then shredded and processed into asphalt, where toxic materials such as lead can end up in the soil. Biosphere Solar now produces three circular solar panels that can be repaired and reused. There is one limitation: they are not made from recycled materials, as this is not feasible at scale for solar cells, the most valuable component of the panel.[\/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner row_inner_height_percent=”0″ row_padding=”0″ overlay_alpha=”50″ gutter_size=”3″ shift_y=”0″ z_index=”0″ uncode_shortcode_id=”200507″][vc_column_inner column_width_percent=”100″ gutter_size=”3″ overlay_alpha=”50″ shift_x=”0″ shift_y=”0″ shift_y_down=”0″ z_index=”0″ medium_width=”0″ mobile_width=”0″ width=”1\/2″ uncode_shortcode_id=”992284″][vc_single_image media=”12153″ caption=”yes” media_lightbox=”yes” media_width_percent=”100″ uncode_shortcode_id=”127454″][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image media=”12154″ caption=”yes” media_lightbox=”yes” media_width_percent=”100″ uncode_shortcode_id=”138272″][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][uncode_flexbox][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”212298″]For Zola, it goes beyond technology. \u2018It\u2019s also about how you engage with the world and what you can contribute,\u2019 she explains. She sees the energy transition as the perfect moment to rebuild an entire industry from scratch, more fairly this time. \u2018I don\u2019t just want to go along with producing more and more. I want to look at what actually needs to be made.\u2019[\/vc_column_text][\/uncode_flexbox]

I don\u2019t just want to go along with producing more and more. I want to look at what actually needs to be made.<\/blockquote>[vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”165579″]<\/p>\n

Figuring out together how to do it differently<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In 2024, start-up Biosphere Solar moved from Delft to Blue City,<\/a> Rotterdam\u2019s hub for sustainable and circular entrepreneurs. Since 2015, this former swimming pool has been home to people working on sustainable innovation, from seaweed-based cosmetics to plant-based d\u00f6ner kebab. It\u2019s a place built around one idea: figuring out together how to do things differently.<\/p>\n

Biosphere Solar received a grant from the City of Rotterdam<\/a> and won the Talent Award Rotterdam<\/a> in 2025 for their boldness, vision, and exceptional perseverance. Their circular solar panel also fits neatly into Rotterdam\u2019s ambition to be waste-free by 2050<\/a>.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”12155″ caption=”yes” media_lightbox=”yes” media_width_percent=”100″ uncode_shortcode_id=”120411″][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”109484″]<\/p>\n

A just-do-it mentality<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For Zola, Rotterdam is exactly the right city for Biosphere Solar. \u2018It\u2019s a city where a lot is possible. If you want to try something, you just go ahead and try it.\u2019 That mentality, of getting on with it, is something she recognises every day in Blue City. \u2018You feel a kind of energy from people who want to make something happen, who aren\u2019t afraid to try things out.\u2019<\/p>\n

The experience and support of fellow entrepreneurs means a great deal to her, because pioneering isn\u2019t always easy. \u2018Sometimes I feel a bit disheartened, because we\u2019ve known what the big problems are for so long, and yet so many people stay passive. But here you notice: let\u2019s try to tackle it, even if it feels big and what you can do feels small. You just do it.\u2019[\/vc_column_text]

Let\u2019s try to tackle it, even if it feels big and what you can do feels small. You just do it.<\/blockquote>[vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”423330″]<\/p>\n

Changing the industry standard<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Biosphere Solar is a team of eight, working internationally. Four of them are based in Rotterdam, the rest in China, Germany, and France. Their goal is not to become a global solar panel manufacturer. It\u2019s to change the industry standard, so that every solar panel produced in the future is repairable and circular. To get there, the company works with researchers, businesses, and governments. Biosphere Solar also works largely open source, keeping their technology publicly accessible. \u2018We genuinely believe that technology develops much faster when you don\u2019t keep it to yourself,\u2019 Zola explains.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”12156″ caption=”yes” media_lightbox=”yes” media_width_percent=”100″ uncode_shortcode_id=”654963″][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”195966″]<\/p>\n

Climate chamber<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Development at Biosphere Solar shows no sign of slowing down. Probably still in 2026, they will move to the former Hunter Douglas<\/a> building on the other side of the Maas. There, the company will have room for heavier testing equipment, including a climate chamber that can simulate ten years of solar panel ageing in just a few days. Their office will remain in Blue City, continuing to work from there on sustainable solar energy with circular panels the industry simply can\u2019t ignore.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”440220″]How do you make solar panels that last longer and generate less waste? 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