By 2040, Europe alone may generate between 6 and 13 million tonnes of solar panel waste. And today, less than half of that waste is even collected. That’s the challenge Yun Luo of recycling pioneer ROSI aims to solve by driving solar panel recycling for Europe’s circular economy.
From a young age, Yun was fueled by curiosity and a fierce drive to make an impact. Her father, a physics professor, told her that “girls can do just as well as boys in science”.
“I always wanted to win”, says Yun Luo. “Growing up, there were a lot of challenges and competition. My dad sparked my curiosity for many different topics. For instance, when I was still very young, he told me about the stars and the planets. That really excited me.”
That competitive spirit, nurtured by her father and inspired by role models like Marie Curie, has carried Yun through her career and helped shape her path from scientist to Co-founder and CEO of ROSI.
“I wanted to see how technologies are applied and have an influence in real life,” she explains.
And while becoming an entrepreneur wasn’t initially a part of her plan, her desire to drive change was.
“I didn’t see impact happening fast enough. Therefore, I decided to become an entrepreneur.”
In 2017, that decision led to the foundation of ROSI, a start-up redefining the circular economy for solar. “A fundamental reason I started ROSI was to see how far we could bring our ideas and realise them,” Yun says.
From the outset, ROSI set out to tackle one of the solar sector’s biggest blind spots: how to make use of solar panels at the end of their lives. Its proprietary processes now recover high-purity silicon, silver, copper, aluminium, and highly transparent glass from end-of-life photovoltaic panels. All the recycled materials then re-enter strategic industries with purity levels that meet or exceed virgin quality.
The ‘aha’ moment came when Evonik wanted to reuse ROSI’s recycled materials
In the early days, Yun Luo and her co-founders shared a conviction: solar panel waste had to be recycled, and only technological innovation could achieve the purity needed for reuse. But one question remained: where would those recovered materials go?
The first technological breakthrough came when Dr. Stefan Bade, head of silane technology at Evonik, confirmed that ROSI’s recycled silicon could be reused in the silicon value chain.
“That was definitely an ‘aha’ moment. When our offtakers were excited about our recycled materials and wanted to bring them back into their industrial value chains,” Yun recalls. “This encouraged us greatly. We could finally close the loop.”
Those confirmations became early proof points. They also established ROSI’s competitive advantage: “High-value recycling of raw materials for reuse in strategic industries.”
“In good times and bad, InnoEnergy has always been there”
Partnerships have always been a central factor in ROSI’s journey. In 2019, InnoEnergy became ROSI’s first investor, which Yun describes as “one of the luckiest decisions for the development of ROSI.” For her, the value has always gone far beyond capital. “InnoEnergy’s support goes beyond what typical investors or incubators would offer. InnoEnergy has supported ROSI’s market development and financing, and has brought ROSI to the table to help define the circular economy standard in Europe. It is more of a push towards a future vision. This is quite unique for an investor.”
That vision has helped guide ROSI’s growth from a concept to multiple planned sites, offering scientific and technical insights on where to focus large-scale impact. InnoEnergy has also facilitated key partnerships, including introducing ROSI to Spain’s largest electricity provider, and positioned the company within strategic EU-level discussions on PV recycling. “It is very encouraging and important for us to see InnoEnergy drive forward a joint vision for circularity in key sectors like solar and batteries.”
But perhaps most importantly, Yun highlights InnoEnergy’s reliability in the toughest moments. “Fundraising has always been challenging, especially when we faced setbacks,” she recalls. “During the hardest times, InnoEnergy took the lead in the financing operations and helped us move forward. In good times and bad, they have always been there. With their support, we have built our resilience as a team.”
“Our team is united by the goal of creating a cleaner world”
Yun’s journey with ROSI has meant evolving from a purely technical leader to “a driver for more comprehensive aspects in the company and in this emerging industry.” Her focus now is on building “the most adapted talents for different positions in the company,” combining fast-growing internal talent with external expertise.
For her, team motivation in uncertain times comes down to transparency, communication, and persistence, all grounded in a shared vision of sustainability. “Our team is united by the goal of creating a cleaner world through technology and making photovoltaic energy truly circular.” That requires constant reflection, adjustment, and reinforcing confidence.
“Building a new industry branch is tough, but possible – when we collaborate”
Looking ahead, Yun sees ROSI as a technology leader and a standard-setter for this emerging industrial branch of high value raw materials recycling from end-of-life PV modules. In the next five to ten years, she expects to see decentralised treatment capacities across Europe and centralised further processing of recycled materials; a model she believes offers a unique opportunity for Europe’s clean energy future, especially in relation to overall CO2 footprint and cost of operation.
ROSI’s journey is proof that true collaboration brings real impact. Yun stresses that while start-ups often bring innovative processes, upscaling and integrating them into industrial and commercial value chains requires tapping into existing know-how: “Building a new industry branch cannot be realised alone,” she says. “The only sustainable way is to work openly, collaboratively, and commit to the journey together. Then we all win.”
Speaking to other women scientists or engineers thinking about starting their own start-up, her advice is:
“It’s extremely important to be confident and believe in your choice. There will always be doubts and pushbacks, but if you trust yourself, review and revise along the way, and keep moving forward, the value will become clear.”
Yun has come a long way since her classroom days when she was competing with the boys. But the spark in her eyes is just as bright. With ROSI’s growing impact in the solar recycling space, she is living proof that women in science don’t just belong. They can lead the way.
