Iberdrola and FCC Enter Agreement to Advance Photovoltaic Panel Recycling

FCC Ámbito, FCC Servicios Medio Ambiente’s subsidiary has inked a strategic collaboration agreement with Iberdrola to promote an industrial-scale recycling initiative for PV panels. This will be done through its PERSEO Venture Builder program of Iberdrola.

After the successful setting up of EnergyLoop, a joint venture focused on recycling wind turbine blades, the two companies have joined forces again to innovate circularity solutions for waste associated with photovoltaic solar generation.

FCC Ámbito has also set up a new industrial photovoltaic panel treatment plant in Cadrete (Zaragoza) which will serve as a cornerstone asset for both companies. Within this collaborative framework, they will oversee the monitoring and potential implementation of emerging treatment technologies to enhance the industrial recovery capabilities of photovoltaic panels in the short to medium term.

Within the agreement’s framework, an examination of potential European or national public funding opportunities aimed at fostering photovoltaic panel recycling is included. These funds could support research and development initiatives or the establishment of large-scale industrial facilities.

Linked to this initiative, FCC Ámbito is spearheading the PV4INK R&D&I project, financed by the Ministry of Science and Innovation and the European Union’s Next Generation funds. This project aims to extract silver from photovoltaic panels for use in high-value applications, thereby increasing the recovery rate and reclaiming a crucial element for the energy transition.

While wind farms are starting to undergo decommissioning, photovoltaic installations have many operational years ahead. Iberdrola aims to be prepared for their end-of-life phase, and this collaboration agreement positions them ideally for that transition. Concurrently, Iberdrola is engaged in the European RETRIEVE project, which focuses on developing innovative recovery technologies for each main component of photovoltaic panels, particularly silicon.

This collaboration highlights Iberdrola’s dedication to a sustainable energy model and is a key component of its PERSEO Venture Builder program, which supports the growth of innovative industrial companies operating in new electrification sectors and challenging decarbonization areas.

On behalf of FCC Ámbito, María Jesús Kaifer, Technical Director and Head of Circular Economy, emphasised that “From the perspective that the energy transition is key in decarbonisation processes, our company considers strategic growth objectives, such as developing comprehensive recycling solutions for materials from the energy transition”.

María further added “this strategic agreement is a continuation of our efforts in the search for the best technologies for the recovery of the resources contained in waste in order to incorporate them back into production processes. The recycling of photovoltaic panels is another project that we are tackling together with a leading company in its sector, Iberdrola, in order to join forces to guarantee the circularity of renewable energies”.

Álvaro Portellano, Head of PERSEO Venture Builder at Iberdrola, noted that “Iberdrola’s goal is to recycle all the components of its facilities. We see recycling not as a challenge but as an opportunity. Therefore, we see this new collaboration as a valuable opportunity to contribute to the circularity of new elements of the energy transition, and it expands the scope of our alliance with FCC Ámbito, which already successfully addresses the recycling of wind turbine blades through EnergyLoop”.

“In 2020, the PERSEO Venture Builder programme was launched to promote the development of innovative industries such as, among others, those related to the circular economy. In this sense, we are excited to combine this objective with the strengths and capabilities of FCC Ámbito – a global leader in waste management – to promote and lead the recycling of photovoltaic panels in the Iberian Peninsula,” added Portellano.