- EDPR Sunseap – the Asia-Pacific platform of Portugal’s EDP Renewables – and Singapore-based PlasticBean have announced plans to use 100% recycled plastic in future floating solar projects in Indonesia, Singapore and South Korea.
“This [memorandum of understanding]is the first step toward that, with the next steps yet to be foreseen and defined,” an EDPR Sunseap spokesperson told pv magazine.
PlasticBean produces 100% recycled plastic pellets that can be used to make floaters for future PV projects. Its Bluewave thermoplastic material is derived from marine plastics, ocean-bound plastics, post-consumer waste, and post-industrial waste. These plastics are collected at riverbanks and coastal areas in some of the most polluted parts of the world, according to a joint statement by EDPR Sunseap and PlasticBean.
The companies said the cost of the recycled material will be similar to or lower than plastic made from virgin materials such as crude oil. This has convinced them that floating solar PV projects using fully recycled floaters could be a bankable investment, said the EDPR Sunseap spokesperson.
EDP Renewables has previously used sustainable materials in its floating solar projects. For example, it used floaters made of corkscrew composite and recycled polymers in a hydropower dam installation in Alqueva, Portugal, said the spokesperson.
Author: Beatriz Santos
This article was originally published in pv magazine and is republished with permission.
