The current deal provides Ørsted with a portfolio-wide recycling solution for crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar modules
A leading clean energy company, Ørsted recently announced a new partnership with SOLARCYCLE, a technology-based solar recycling company, to process and recycle Ørsted’s end-of-life solar modules from its projects across the U.S. The company-released statement mentioned that the recycling services agreement supports Ørsted’s global commitment, effective immediately, to reuse or recycle 100% of solar panels that reach an end-of-life status. It is noteworthy that Ørsted has signed a recycling contract for thin-film modules with First Solar in 2021. The current deal provides Ørsted with a portfolio-wide recycling solution for crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar modules.
Notably, SOLARCYCLE opened its recycling facility in Odessa, Texas in 2022. The partners believe that investing in solar recycling solutions will lead to a lower environmental footprint from upstream activities, including mining and processing while creating more clean energy jobs downstream.
Group EVP and CEO Americas at Ørsted, David Hardy said, “Solar energy is an integral part of Ørsted’s growing land-based portfolio and is one of the most powerful technologies we have to produce the clean energy our communities and business partners need.”
He added that Ørsted is thrilled to work with such an innovative American company to ensure c-Si solar modules are disposed of properly and to support a company spearheading solutions on behalf of the solar industry.
The official statement quoted a 2022 study by National Renewable Energy Laboratory to claim that for some materials, recycling can meet at least 25-30% of domestic solar manufacturing needs in the US by 2040.
CEO and Co-Founder of SOLARCYCLE, Suvi Sharma remarked, “Ørsted’s 100 per cent commitment to recycling their solar projects in the U.S. and globally is notable and the first-of-its-kind. Their leadership is walking the walk, and we are grateful to collaborate with their team to meet their circular economy goals.”
Sharma believes that the current announcement also demonstrates that the industry no longer sees recycling as an afterthought, but it is rapidly becoming the norm to plan for end-of-life practices years in advance.
SOLARCYCLE identifies as a technology-driven platform designed to maximize solar sustainability by offering solar asset owners a low-cost, eco-friendly, comprehensive process for recycling retiring solar panels and technologies and repurposing them for new uses. SOLARCYCLE claims that its recycling technology can extract 95% of the value from solar panels.
A global leading clean energy player, Ørsted develops, constructs, and operates offshore and land-based wind farms, solar farms, energy storage facilities, and bioenergy plants. It claims to be the only energy company in the world with a science-based net-zero emissions target as validated by the Science Based Targets initiative.
