The Saudi Arabian chemical and plastics group Sabic has been producing plastic granulates in Genk, Belgium, since 2009. Here, Sabic has also developed a polymer composite material in collaboration with the Dutch module manufacturer Solarge. Solarge is using this material to replace the glass in its modules. The advantage is that the panels weigh only a quarter of the weight of a conventional glass-foil module.
Focus on recycling
This makes the panels ideal for use on roofs with low load-bearing capacity. But Solarge modules have another advantage. The manufacturer, based in Weert in the southern Dutch province of Limburg, has not only focused on weight and a low carbon footprint in the development of its modules, but also on recyclability. The modules are designed so that they can be completely dismantled into their individual parts at the end of their service life – including the encapsulation films and solar cells.
2.3 megawatts installed
The modules went into series production last year. Now, energy company Engie has built a large solar plant on the roof of Sabic in Genk using Solarge modules. A total of 4,600 panels were installed on the Sabic roof by Sun4Business on behalf of Engie. Together, they generate 2.3 megawatts.
Martin Green from Euronergy: “Lightweight opens up new applications”
The new solar plant will supply around 2,000 megawatt hours of clean solar power every year for at least the next 25 years. Sabic uses almost all of this on site for plastics production, reducing its CO2 emissions by around 800 tonnes per year.
Sustainability is an opportunity for European manufacturers
It is the first megawatt plant with modules from Solarge. “With this technology, we are demonstrating that European manufacturers can make a difference when they focus on innovation and sustainability,“ emphasises Jan Vesseur, Managing Director of Solarge. “Solarge’s ambition is to promote the global energy transition with sustainable, PFAS-free solar modules that are also recyclable at the end of their useful life. To this end, we are working to expand our capacities in the Netherlands and the United States,” he says.
ESG: The EU wants to be a pioneer
Solarge’s modules are primarily aimed at the commercial and industrial solar panel market, particularly roofs that cannot bear much additional weight. “This opens up huge additional potential for using roofs to install solar panels,“ explains Jan Vesseur.
Modules tested in-house
Engie, for its part, opted for Solarge’s recyclable and lightweight solar modules after testing them thoroughly at its own research and development centre, Laborelec. “They offer a smart solution for roofs with limited load capacity, which is typical for large factory buildings,“ says Vincent Verbeke, Managing Director of Engie Belgium. He announces that Engie intends to continue using these modules in Belgium. The goal is to install solar systems with a total capacity of 300 megawatts by 2030. (su/hcn)