SABIC’s factory in Genk, Belgium has installed a 2.3 MW solar array made with fully recyclable modules
These panels are produced by Solarge at its Netherlands-based manufacturing plant
Solarge is now aiming to scale up its production capacity within the country and also expand to the US
A 2.3 MW solar array in Belgium’s Genk has become the world’s ‘largest’ circular and lightweight solar installation to come online, according to Solarge of the Netherlands whose PV modules can be fully recycled within its own production chain after 25 years. It was inaugurated by Genk’s Mayor Wim Dries.
Developed by chemical manufacturing company Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) in close coordination with Solarge, these modules are made using polypropylene (PP) compounds that make them light enough to be installed on building roofs that cannot sustain the weight of the current glass PV panels. These are 50% lighter than conventional glass panels, according to the partners.
Tested by ENGIE Laborelec, the French group’s Belgian research center, these modules have over 25% carbon footprint reduction due to their PP compounds, according to SABIC. The latter produces these PP compounds at its Genk, Belgium-located PP compounding site that is now home to this 2.3 MW project, installed by Engie Sun4Business.
These contain no glass and very little aluminum, according to Engie. Since these are composed of fully separable layers, all components can be disassembled and reused.
“ENGIE is already poised to further roll out this technology to customers across Belgium, as part of working toward our goal of having 300 MW of solar installations in service at businesses by 2030,” said Engie Belgium CEO Vincent Verbeke.
Close to 4,700 solar panels installed will produce an average of 2,000 MWh of green and local electricity annually with SABIC using 97% of the generated electricity for self-consumption. This translates to about 5% of the site’s local energy demand at the Genk site.
“Our solar panels are proudly produced in our Dutch facility, using the latest in sustainable manufacturing techniques. This project represents European excellence in solar innovation, combining Dutch craftsmanship with Belgian industrial strength,” stated Solarge.
The Dutch company is now working to expand its capacity in the Netherlands and the US with a focus on the commercial and industrial (C&I) market, especially buildings with weight-restricted roofs.
In December 2023, Solarge announced a 1 GW module production factory in Nigeria that’s targeted to begin commercial operations in 2025 (see GW-Scale Solar Module Manufacturing In Nigeria).