The Danish renewables large is partnering with Texas-based SOLARCYCLE to recycle all of Ørsted‘s end-of-life US photo voltaic panels.

Ørsted’s dedication to reuse or recycle 100% of end-of-life photo voltaic panels is a primary within the photo voltaic trade. 

Ørsted signed a recycling contract in 2021 with First Photo voltaic for thin-film modules. SOLARCYCLE opened its recycling heart in Odessa, Texas, in 2022. 

Whereas Ørsted’s US photo voltaic initiatives are nonetheless in early levels, it’s already recycled 4,000 panels. Its settlement with SOLARCYCLE implies that Ørsted will now have a recycling plan for crystalline silicon (c-Si) photo voltaic modules – in order that implies that all of Ørsted’s initiatives will now have recycling protection. 

Ørsted introduced at the moment that it’s going to make investments $68 billion to put in 50 gigawatts of renewable energy capability – that’s photo voltaic and wind – by 2030.

Recycling photo voltaic panels

Recycling photo voltaic panels domestically will create a provide of supplies wanted to make new photo voltaic panels, together with glass, silicon, and beneficial metals corresponding to silver, copper, and aluminum. This reduces waste and the quantity of uncooked sources wanted to be mined, which then should be extracted and refined.

SOLARCYCLE’s recycling know-how can extract 95% of the worth from photo voltaic panels. The corporate evaluates whether or not an end-of-life panel can be utilized secondhand onsite, and if it could possibly’t be, then it will get recycled. The aluminum body and junction field are eliminated, the glass is delaminated, and the remaining panel is shredded.

Beneficial metals corresponding to silver and copper are recovered, and plastics are separated out. SOLARCYCLE returns supplies again to the availability chain, together with to US photo voltaic producers.

The Nationwide Renewable Vitality Laboratory present in 2022 that for some supplies, recycling can meet not less than 25-30% of home photo voltaic manufacturing wants within the US by 2040.

Learn extra: The primary US-built offshore wind substation is crusing to New York

Picture: Solarcycle

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