EDION has built a new solar panel recycling plant on the premises of the Fukuyama headquarters in Fukuyama, Hiroshima, establishing an integrated system that handles everything from sales through collection and recycling within the Group. It aims to recycle approximately 40,000 panels annually by 2035.
EDION has built a new “PV Recycling Plant” on the premises of the headquarters of its group company イー・アール・ジャパン. This will establish an integrated model under which the Group handles the entire process, from the sale and installation of solar panels through their collection and recycling. Against the backdrop of the mass disposal issue expected in the mid-2030s, the company aims to fulfill its social responsibility. The equipment installed, described below, will also enable it to process damaged panels.
The new plant is equipped with advanced facilities including a “PV Recycling Hammer,” which can process damaged and deformed panels that are difficult to handle using conventional blade-based systems, and a “digital color sorter” that uses optical sensors to automatically remove impurities and extract high-purity glass resources. Because glass accounts for approximately 60% of a panel, the company aims to recover it as high-purity glass cullet and recycle it into insulation and civil engineering materials. With a zero-landfill target, the plant will serve as a collection point by leveraging the company’s sales and installation network.