"Precycling" incorporates circularity into solar panel projects
The pilot program incorporates solar panel and system component recycling across multiple projects to divert 1 million panels from landfills
ENGIE and SOLARCYCLE have teamed up to pilot a new "precycling" provision that incorporates solar panel and project component recycling into initial agreements at four projects across the U.S. Precycling avoids waste and recyclables before they're even created through informed purchasing decisions.
Every solar panel and system component on these projects will have full traceability, ensuring that circularity goals are met and ultimately returned to the domestic supply chain to help form the next generation of clean energy materials.
Designing for EOL
The precycling provision incorporates recycling into purchase agreements and incorporates 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 will 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 landfills and avoid 33,000 tons of carbon emissions. Additionally, construction waste and system components will be recycled when possible.
What does this mean for the industry?
As demand for power increases, domestic clean energy is essential to meeting energy capacity requirements. This collaboration between ENGIE and SOLARCYCLE enables solar panel and system components to have full traceability, ensuring that circularity goals are met and ultimately returned to the domestic supply chain to help form the next generation of clean energy materials. T.
"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," says Jesse Simons, co-founder and CCO of SOLARCYCLE.
These initial projects are expected to be completed over the next couple of years and will add to the 12 gigawatts (GW) of wind, solar, and battery storage operated by ENGIE in North America.
