TAKEEI prepares to close the loop for Fukushima’s solar panel

TAKEEI Corporation is launching a solar panel recycling business in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, aiming to address the looming environmental challenge of mass disposal of aging solar panels, many of which are expected to reach the end of their lifespan around 2030.

The company has secured the necessary industrial waste disposal license and will begin operations at its new facility this month. The facility will process about nine tons of solar panels daily, with plans to increase capacity in the coming years.

The recycling plant will employ the “PV Recycling Hammer,” a machine designed to crush and separate surface glass from solar panels. The facility will also feature a color sorting machine, allowing for the production of high-quality glass cullet. Panels that pass inspection can be resold as reusable products, while those that fail will be dismantled and sorted into aluminum, cell sheets, and glass. These materials will then either be sold as recycled raw materials or disposed of responsibly, depending on their condition.

Recycling solar panels offers several environmental benefits. It reduces industrial waste by reclaiming valuable materials such as glass and aluminum, while also conserving natural resources like silica sand and soda ash, which are typically used to produce new panels. Additionally, using recycled materials requires less energy than processing virgin raw materials, resulting in lower greenhouse gas emissions.

In addition to solar panel recycling, the company is exploring other recycling projects, including a pilot program for used diaper recycling as part of its “Soma Circular Park” concept.

TAKEEI’s new Soma facility will be able to process various types of industrial waste, including plastics, metal scraps, and glass debris. The company hopes to expand the facility’s capacity to meet the growing demand for solar panel recycling as installations across Japan near the end of their lifespan.