Japan partners research solar panel waste and CO2 into hydrogen carrier

A Japanese collaborative project comprising COCCO Co., Ltd., Takamatsu Teisan Co., Ltd., Yokohama National University, and The Chugoku Electric Power Co., Inc. has begun in Hiroshima Prefecture, aiming to manufacture a formic acid hydrogen carrier using waste silicon and industrial carbon dioxide. Selected under Hiroshima Prefecture’s FY2026 Carbon Recycle Related Technology Research and Development Support Project within its Carbon Recycle Sandbox framework, the project combines solar panel recycling with industrial flue gas capture to produce green hydrogen carriers.

As solar power deployment expands across Japan, managing end-of-life solar panels is emerging as a pressing waste management challenge. Millions of panels will reach the end of their operational lifespan in the coming decades, making material recovery essential. Concurrently, Japan’s push toward net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 depends on scaling up hydrogen energy. Storing and transporting gaseous hydrogen remains difficult due to its low density, leakage potential, and flammability. Converting hydrogen into a stable liquid carrier addresses these logistical hurdles.

Formic acid remains liquid at ambient temperature and pressure, making it easier to transport and requiring minimal energy input to release stored hydrogen. Under the project, silicon recovered from decommissioned solar panels acts as a reductant to convert captured carbon dioxide from industrial flue gas into aqueous formic acid. Because the synthesis bypasses fossil fuel feedstock, the output functions as green formic acid. The research represents Japan’s first integrated trial for waste silicon usage, carbon dioxide conversion, and hydrogen extraction. The research phase runs from the second half of 2026 through the end of 2027.

Each partner fulfills a specific technical function within the collaborative framework. COCCO provides recycled silicon from solar panels and assesses carbon dioxide recovery from heavy oil boiler emissions. The Chugoku Electric Power Company supplies power plant flue gas samples and compositional data. Yokohama National University, led by Professor Ken Motokura, leads the chemical synthesis of aqueous formic acid. Takamatsu Teisan evaluates the hydrogen extraction reactions from the resulting formic acid solution.

[Reference] COCCO Press Release (Japanese)