Engie pilot program includes ‘precycling’ collaboration with Solarcycle
A new pilot program from Engie North America includes what the company calls a “precycling” provision for 375 MW of solar panel and system component recycling across multiple projects with the aim of diverting an estimated 1 million panels from landfills.
Engie has partnered with Solarcycle to develop the program as part of an increasing approach to circularity. The company will pilot a new precycling provision to incorporate solar panel and project component recycling into initial agreements on four projects.
The precycling provision includes 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 1 million panels from 375 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 approximately 33,000 tons of carbon emissions. Additionally, as much as possible of all construction waste and system components will be recycled as part of the progra,.
“Our collaboration with Solarcycle demonstrates the shared commitment we have to the long-term sustainability of our industry,” said Caroline Mead, senior VP of power marketing at Engie North America.
As demand for power in the United States increases, domestic clean energy is essential to meeting energy capacity requirements. This collaboration between the two companies stipulates 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,” said Jesse Simons, cofounder 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 GW of wind, solar and battery storage operated by Engie in North America.
