Solarplaza Summit Recycling Renewables

Wednesday 6 November 2024

Program

08:30

Welcome Coffee

30 min.

Session Topics:

09:00

Conference Kick-Off

10 min.

Jan Clyncke

PV CYCLE

Edwin Koot

Solarplaza

Session Topics:

09:10

Keynote Speech

presentation

20 min.

Eline Fleur Speklé

Dutch Ministry of Economics and Climate

Session Topics:

Session 1

The End-of-Life Journey

09:30

The Role of Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs)

presentation

10 min.

This session will explore the vital role of Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) in managing the lifecycle of renewable energy products. PROs ensure that manufacturers take responsibility for their products’ environmental impact, from production to end-of-life. The session will cover how PROs contribute to sustainability by facilitating recycling, compliance with regulations, and promoting a circular economy in the renewable energy sector.

Pascal Leroy

WEEE Forum

Session Topics:

Operational framework of PRO
Collaboration with industry stakeholders
Regulatory influence and compliance

09:40

Regulatory Framework for Recycling

presentation

10 min.

This presentation will explore the regulatory landscape surrounding recycling. It will provide an overview of existing regulations, recent developments, and future trends that shape how recycling strategies are implemented. The session will also discuss the impact of these regulations on industry practices, emphasising the importance of compliance and proactive adaptation to new standards.

Isabelle Radovan

European Recycling Industries' Confederation (EuRIC)

Session Topics:

WEEE directive
Challenges in compliance
Future regulatory trends

09:50

Point of view of waste management towards PROs

presentation

10 min.

This session will explore the perspective of waste management companies on the role and impact of Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs). It will focus on how waste management practices intersect with the objectives of PROs, particularly in promoting recycling and responsible disposal of renewable energy components. The session will also discuss the challenges and opportunities waste management organizations face when working with PROs to create efficient, sustainable waste solutions.

Aizea Astor Hoschen

FEAD

Session Topics:

10:00

Transitioning From Operations to End-of-Life

panel

40 min.

This panel discussion will focus on the critical phase of transitioning renewable energy assets from active operations to end-of-life management. It will explore the roles of various stakeholders, including O&M service providers, in ensuring sustainable practices during this transition. The session will cover topics such as repowering and revamping strategies, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), and the environmental impacts of decommissioning renewable assets.

Tomaso Charlemont

BayWa r.e.

Arnoud Klaren

Quintas Advisory

Session Topics:

Stakeholders involvement - the role of O&M service provider
Repowering and revamping
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs)
Environmental impact of decommissioning renewable assets

10:40

Morning Networking Break

Take this opportunity to mingle and start making those vital industry contacts!

Session Topics:

Session 2

Harnessing Value from Decommissioned Assets

11:20

Current Practice and Future Viability of Recycling

presentation

20 min.

This presentation will provide an overview of the current practices in the recycling of renewable energy components and evaluate its future viability. It will explore the market opportunities and incentives that are driving the growth of recycling in the renewable energy sector, as well as the lifecycle cost impacts of these practices. The session will include a cost-benefit analysis to highlight the business case for investing in recycling technologies and processes.

Karsten Wambach

bifa Umweltinstitut

Session Topics:

Market opportunities and incentives
Lifecycle cost impact
Cost-benefit analysis: the business case
Current recycling methods and processes

11:40

Quo Vadis PV Recycling?

panel

40 min.

This session will discuss different advanced methods for high-value recycling of PV modules aimed at maximising material recovery and minimising waste. Experts will discuss innovative technologies and processes that enhance the efficiency and economic viability of recycling these components. The session will also address the role of industry collaboration and research in advancing high-value recycling practices.

moderator

Karsten Wambach

bifa Umweltinstitut

Jan Bargels

Solar Materials

Peter Henatsch

Fraunhofer CSP

Matteo Griseri

Umicore

Session Topics:

Economic and environmental impact
Maximising material recovery
Use of recycled materials towards a circular economy

12:20

Second life: Reuse and Refurbishment

panel

40 min.

This session will explore the growing market and business models surrounding the reuse and refurbishment of renewable energy components, particularly focusing on the second life of devices such as PV modules, batteries and inverters. The session will also examine the economic and environmental benefits of these practices, as well as the challenges and opportunities in the second-hand market for refurbished components.

Wim Van Opstal

VITO

Wim Van Opstal

R&D Circular Economy

VITO

Wim Van Opstal is a researcher at VITO, where he studies the development of circular business models and enabling policies for a circular transition. Examples of his current research include circular aspects of solar PV, textiles, bio-fertilizers, housing, adhesive bonding, and smart grids, and themes such as labour market policies, the informal circular economy, just transition, and market failures. His research entails business case analysis, survey-research, mapping value chains, backcasting, and policy analysis to support circular business model innovation. Wim is also affiliated with the Maastricht Sustainability Institute (MSI) at Maastricht University and is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Circular Economy. Regarding solar PV, Wim was involved in the CIRCUSOL project, an Innovation Action project funded by the European Commission involving circular business experimentation on circular solar business models. Here, he mainly focused on customer acceptance in BtC, BtB, and BtG market segments for solar PSS models, PV reuse, and alternative end-of-life solutions.

Stefan Wippich

SecondSol

Arvid van der Heide

imec

Arvid van der Heide

PV module researcher

imec

Arvid van der Heide obtained his degree in Applied Physics at the Groningen University in The Netherlands in 1995. He started working in the PV sector in 1997 at the solar energy department of ECN in the Netherlands (now TNO), as a researcher in Si solar cells, (specialising in characterisation). From 2005 until 2012 he worked at the R&D department of solar cell/module manufacturer Photovoltech in Belgium, both on cells and modules. From 2013 until 2016 he was working at Soltech, developing special modules, amongst others BIPV. Since 2016 he has been part of the PV research group at imec in Belgium. His current focus is cell/module characterisation, module development, agri-PV and the possibilities for re-use of PV modules. This mainly involves the creation of a list of requirements to determine whether modules are acceptable to be re-used, to ensure quality and safety. This activity started for him within the framework of the EU project Circusol. It is now continued within IEC TC82 with a project team that started in 2022 to create a technical report on the re-use of modules. This project team is led by Serge Noels in collaboration with Arvid. Serge has a lot of experience on standardisation in general, while Arvid is contributing based on his experience in solar module characterisation.

Donald Balcaen

Inverter Service BeNeLux

Donald Balcaen

Head of Operations

Inverter Service BeNeLux

Donald Balcaen is an electronics engineer with over 30 years of experience in product design and manufacturing within the telecom and IT industries. He holds a Master’s degree in Electronic Engineering from Howest in Belgium. His career began in small startups and expanded to midsize companies like Barco and multinational giants such as Cisco Systems. He has developed products, managed development teams, and led supply chain teams through transitions to Lean manufacturing methodologies, with a focus on design for manufacturing and product servicing. Nearly three years ago, Donald transitioned into business consulting, helping companies grow without heavy investments. His approach emphasizes working smarter, not harder, by implementing Lean practices across the entire business process chain. Recently, he joined Inverterservice in Belgium, where he leads the operations team. Inverterservice specializes in repairing and servicing electronic products, including solar panel inverters, battery chargers, and batteries. In everything he does, Donald strives to give my best. He believes there are no business problems, only challenges and opportunities.

Mathijs Tas

Boldz

Session Topics:

Second life business models
Functionality testing and eligibility check
The re-used market and applications
Cost-benefit analysis: the business case

13:00

Networking Lunch

Our networking app makes it easy to schedule one-on-one meetings with any of the 150+ attendees and 20+ speakers!

Session Topics:

Session 3

Reducing Emissions and Enhancing Transparency in Renewables

14:30

Decarbonizing Renewables: Emissions Management and Future Outlook

presentation

20 min.

This presentation will provide a comprehensive overview of the carbon emissions associated with renewable energy technologies throughout their lifecycle. It will explore strategies for reducing these emissions, focusing on technological innovations and policy measures. The session will also offer insights into future directions for the renewable energy sector, highlighting pathways to achieve further decarbonization and sustainability.

Session Topics:

Lifecycle Carbon Emissions
Reduction Strategies
Future Directions

14:50

Value Chain Integrity in Renewables

panel

40 min.

This panel will discuss the importance of maintaining integrity across the renewable energy value chain. The session will cover the role of life cycle analysis in assessing environmental impacts, the significance of selecting sustainable materials, and the need for collaboration among stakeholders to ensure responsible practices.

moderator

Kahya Engler

Sunrock

Ullrich Didszun

UDZ Consult

Ullrich Didszun

Consultant

UDZ Consult

Mr Didszun graduated with degree in economics at the Bergische Universität Wuppertal in 1989. He started his professional career at Telenorma (now AVAYA) and as Project Manager he gained in 1991 his first experience in recycling old electrical and electronic equipment of Telenorma. In 1994 he switched to the recycling industry, and in 1998 he took over the management of the company as sole managing director. His company, RDE Rücknahmen Demontagen und Elektronik -Recycling GmbH, was one of the pioneers in the German market for the disposal of old electronic devices. Between 2002 and 2012, he was chairman of the professional association for electrical, scrap and vehicle recycling in the Federal Association for Secondary Raw Materials and Disposal (BVSE), where he represented this division in the Executive Committee. After the successful sale of the company, he started in 2014 as an independent consultant in e-waste challenges. He also became Lead Auditor for WEEELABEX and hence execute audits according to the CENELEC standard EN 50625 - Series in European e-waste recycling facilities. Since 2015, he is also a member of WG 06 for the development and further development of the CENELEC standards. Since 2015, he is Country Manager for PV CYCLE in Germany.

Ian Lin

Biosphere Solar

Britt Vonk

Sustenuto

Britt Vonk

Sustainability Coach

Sustenuto

Britt’s varied background and practical experience converge in a broad skill set; she knows how to conduct thorough research on sustainability performance of organisations and products. She holds a master's degree in corporate sustainability and, among other things, worked as a researcher on circular business models. In the past five years, she has been helping companies in developing sustainable strategies and guiding manufacturers in shaping circular and more sustainable products. Her works involves conducting in-depth research on both environmental and social performance on manufacturing sites and beyond. The approach applied is based on the Cradle to Cradle philosophy and promotes the use of verified data throughout these processes to ensure high-quality data. At Sustenuto, activities also include support for upcoming EU regulations on sustainability. The mentioned approaches are instrumental for companies to prepare for upcoming Green Deal regulations, such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), Digital Product Passport (DPP), Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), and EU Forced labour regulation. Sustenuto helps companies navigate these regulatory shifts, ensuring compliance and promoting long-term sustainability. These developments emphasize the importance of producing more sustainable products, requiring value chain transparency and integrity.

Session Topics:

Life Cycle analysis
Material selection and design
Stakeholder collaboration across the value chain

15:30

Afternoon Networking Break

Take this chance to connect and start building your network!

Session Topics:

Session 4

Circular Economy: One Step Closer

16:10

Recycling of Wind Turbines

presentation

15 min.

This session will focus on the critical issue of recycling wind turbines.

Ivan Botamino

FCC Ambito

Session Topics:

Inverters
Wind turbines
EV batteries

16:25

Recycling of Inverters

presentation

15 min.

This session will focus on the critical issue of recycling inverters.

Session Topics:

16:40

Battery Recycling in Europe

presentation

15 min.

This presentation will provide an in-depth look at the current state of battery recycling in Europe, focusing on technological advancements and market trends. The session will discuss the challenges and opportunities in recycling large-scale BESS systems.

George Hilton

S&P Global Commodity Insights

Session Topics:

Lessons learned
Technological advancements
Looking into the future

16:55

Building a Circular Future in Renewables

panel

40 min.

This panel will explore the critical role of circular economy principles in the renewable energy sector. Experts will discuss strategies for maximising resource efficiency and ensuring the sustainable life cycle of renewable energy technologies. The session will emphasise the importance of cross-industry collaboration, innovative design, and regulatory support in fostering a truly circular economy.

moderator

Jan Clyncke

PV CYCLE

Nicolas Defrenne

Soren

Gian Marco Gioffré

WindEurope

Valérie Séjourné

Solar Heat Europe (ESTIF)

Michiel van Schalkwijk

ZRN

Session Topics:

Design for Circularity
Collaborative Value Chains
Regulatory and Market Incentives

17:45

Keynote - Closing the Loop

presentation

15 min.

Pieter van Schaik

TU Delft

Session Topics:

17:50

Networking Drinks

As you mingle and build your network, be sure to take a moment to enjoy a refreshing soft drink, glass of wine, or cold beer. There will be plenty of opportunities to connect with professionals from our global network.

Session Topics:

Solarplaza Summit | Recycling Renewables

Welcome Coffee

Conference Kick-Off

Keynote Speech

The End-of-Life Journey

The Role of Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs)

Regulatory Framework for Recycling

Point of view of waste management towards PROs

Transitioning From Operations to End-of-Life

Harnessing Value from Decommissioned Assets

Current Practice and Future Viability of Recycling

Quo Vadis PV Recycling?

Second life: Reuse and Refurbishment

Reducing Emissions and Enhancing Transparency in Renewables

Decarbonizing Renewables: Emissions Management and Future Outlook

Value Chain Integrity in Renewables

Circular Economy: One Step Closer

Recycling of Wind Turbines

Recycling of Inverters

Battery Recycling in Europe

Building a Circular Future in Renewables

Keynote - Closing the Loop