ENGIE North America (ENGIE) announced that as part of an increasing approach to circularity, it will pilot a new precycling provision to incorporate solar panel and project component recycling into initial agreements at four projects. The innovative approach was developed in cooperation with SOLARCYCLE, a leading technology-based solar panel recycler.
The precycling provision incorporates recycling into power purchase agreements and helps developers incorporate end-of-life material recycling at the start of the project’s lifecycle. This is especially relevant for energy buyers focused on project circularity and sustainability goals.
The agreements ensure that around one million panels from 375 megawatts (MW) of projects across the Midwest be recycled when they reach the end of their life, supporting full circularity of the projects. SOLARCYCLE estimates that by doing so, the company will divert 48 million pounds of material from landfill and avoid some 33,000 tons of carbon emissions. Additionally, to the maximum degree possible, all construction waste and system components will be recycled.
“We are delighted to bring this innovative approach to life. Our collaboration with SOLARCYCLE demonstrates the shared commitment we have to the long-term sustainability of our industry,” said Caroline Mead, SVP Power Marketing, ENGIE North America.
As demand for power in the U.S. increases, domestic clean energy is essential to meeting energy capacity requirements. This collaboration between ENGIE and SOLARCYCLE means that the solar panel and system components on these projects will have full traceability to ensure circularity goals are met and ultimately returned into the domestic supply chain to help form the next generation of clean energy materials. The commitment is made possible by SOLARCYCLE’s advanced tracking capabilities that guarantee every panel on the projects is recycled and that the recovered material is returned to the supply chain.
“ENGIE’s precycling provision sets a new precedent for the utility-scale solar industry by proving that circular economy principles can be achieved without complex regulatory intervention and in a way that doesn’t require an up-front payment. We’re happy to work creatively with leaders like ENGIE to support their commitment to circularity, domestic energy, and sustainability,” said Jesse Simons, Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer at SOLARCYCLE.
These initial projects are expected to be completed over the next couple of years and will add to the more than 12 gigawatts (GW) of wind, solar and battery storage operated by ENGIE in North America.
