EDP Renewables North America, a leading renewable energy developer and a top five renewable energy owner and operator in the United States, has announced the launch of its Close the Loop Program focused on keeping the environment front and center through more efficient use of resources and materials, promoting solutions that extend product lifecycle, and ensuring responsibility for product materials and assets. The announcement comes on the heels of EDPR NA’s partnership with SOLARCYCLE, an advanced technology-based solar recycling company, alongside continuing work with 18 additional leaders in the recycling services sector throughout North America.
The move builds on EDPR NA’s continued innovative approach to “future-proofing” its asset operations and ensuring the company’s sustainability practices span from development to the culminating production of clean electrons. In 2022, NREL found that with modest government support, recycled materials from the solar energy sector can meet at least 25-30% of domestic solar manufacturing needs in the United States by 2040. For the U.S. renewables industry to scale to its full potential, EDPR NA is supporting the advancement of U.S. renewable energy supply chains tied to a vibrant secondary market for recycled materials through the establishment of specific ESG targets.
“As an innovative solar recycling company with industry-leading technology that can recycle and recover over 95% of the valuable material from a solar panel, we are thrilled that EDP Renewables North America has chosen SOLARCYCLE as a top, trusted partner for its new Close the Loop Program,” said Suvi Sharma, CEO and Co-Founder of SOLARCYCLE. “With this new partnership, EDP is not only demonstrating its leadership on sustainability, but also joining us in our mission to build a more circular industry that strengthens the solar supply chain.”
Globally, EDP Renewables has set a target of 85% waste recovery by 2026 covering total waste during the construction, operational, and dismantling phases of its projects’ lifecycle, with an ambition to take that figure to 90% total waste recovered by 2030. This move comes as EDP Renewables aims to aid in global decarbonization goals laid out at COP28 through the deployment of more than 4 GW of new renewable energy assets per year, reaching 17 GW of gross additions by 2026.
“We’re excited to be ending the year focusing on tackling one of the key challenges our industry has had to date – namely the sustainability practices associated with recycling of materials during and post-construction of renewables projects,” stated Sandhya Ganapathy, CEO of EDP Renewables North America. “We have the opportunity to support and spotlight innovation and entrepreneurship through EDPR NA’s Close the Loop Program and look forward to delivering cutting-edge renewables projects that come with a full zero-waste circular economy in mind for hundreds of our customers nationwide.”
SOURCE : GlobeNewswire