PV Cycle, key partner in the first major project to dismantle and recycle a European PV farm

Jan Clyncke, director of the association has declared that “the solar modules installed here have supplied clean and renewable energy over the last 26 years and now that they have reached the end of their useful life, PV Cycle has assumed responsibility for dismantling and recycling them". Clyncke added that this is the first project in “a voluntary [recycling] programme we want to conduct throughout Europe” and that “we make solar PV energy doubly green”.

PV Cycle was founded in July 2007 to implement the photovoltaic industry’s commitment to take responsibility for PV modules throughout their entire value chain, and according to the association, Chevetogne represents the first milestone in European PV recycling, just four months after a “joint declaration” was signed by the members of the association in which they commit to establishing “a voluntary take back and recycling programme for end-of-life modules”. The commitment includes two key targets: “collecting a minimum of 65% of modules installed in Europe since 1990 [those taken back to date are even older]” and “recycling at least 85% of the waste”. The association declares that this “will enable a valuable raw material to be used to manufacture new modules”.

Chevetogne was the first major solar thermal installation in Europe and one of the 16 pilot plants developed by the European Commission in 1983. PV Cycle emphasises that it is currently the largest site to be dismantled and “will be a learning experience” in the steps being taken to develop the recycling model PV Cycle plans to have in place by 2015.

Frédéric Bastin, manager of the Photovoltaic Division of Nizet, and Gérard Bournonville, technical director of the provincial district of Chevetogne, highlighted the importance of the recycling process towards achieving the objective of broadening the energy mix. “The recycling of photovoltaic modules is of the utmost importance and inherent to our intention to develop alternative energy sources”, they stated.