Press release regarding the opening of Kyoto PV Recycling Center
Processing factory specializing in solar panels
Japan's first two-base system in Kanto and Kansai will begin accepting students from August 2
Hamada Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Takatsuki City, Osaka Prefecture, President: Tosuke Hamada), an environmental solutions company that recycles waste from society, has recently started operating the Kyoto PV* Recycling Center (Yawata City, Kyoto Prefecture) on August 2, 2021, which processes used or broken solar panels discharged from solar power plants.
*PV: Abbreviation for "Photovoltaic". solar cell.
Photo 1: Hamada Co., Ltd. Kyoto PV Recycling Center
1) About Kyoto PV Recycling Center
This factory was established to process solar panels.
For the first time in the industry, we have obtained intermediate processing permission for automatic separation of solar panel aluminum frames and junction boxes. The development of automatic separation processing equipment has made it possible for us to accept a wide variety of solar panels, including solar panels with broken glass, which we were previously unable to accept.
In addition to the conventional processing line, rare metals contained in the cell/EVA sheet can now be recovered more efficiently by crushing and sorting the cell/EVA composite separated from the glass (hereinafter referred to as the "cell/EVA sheet").
2) Overview of solar panel processing flow
At our company, we first sort solar panels into those that can be reused and those that can be recycled.
After that, the recycled products are automatically separated and sorted into aluminum frames and junction boxes at our factory, and cells/EVA sheets and glass are separated using hot knife technology. The aluminum frame is recycled as a metal raw material, and the glass is recycled as a raw material for plate glass, glass wool, etc. At our factory, cells/EVA sheets are further crushed, sieved, and sorted. The aluminum frames, glass, and cells/EVA sheets that are separated and sorted at our factory can be recycled into materials such as aluminum, silver, copper, and raw materials for glass, resulting in a processing flow that can achieve zero landfill.
Figure 1: Overview of our processing flow
3) Advantages of having locations in Kanto and Kansai
There are only about 20 factories in Japan that specialize in recycling waste solar panels, so it is necessary to establish an appropriate processing flow nationwide. With the operation of the Kyoto PV Recycling Center, our company will be the first in Japan to operate a dedicated solar panel processing machine in Tosaka, along with the solar panel processing equipment at the Keihinjima Ecology Center (Ota Ward, Tokyo), which began operation in 2017.
4) Future prospects
As a result of the feed-in tariff (FIT) system that started in 2012, the number of solar panels that have increased rapidly is said to have a typical lifespan of about 20 years, and it is predicted that a large number of solar panels will be disposed of from around 2030. According to the Ministry of the Environment's predictions, it is feared that the annual amount of waste will reach approximately 800,000 tons by 2040. Furthermore, there are concerns about damage due to increased damage from natural disasters such as typhoons and heavy rain in recent years, as well as illegal dumping and abandonment after future power generation projects are completed.
Using our many years of waste treatment knowledge and network, we offer one-stop proposals for purchasing and selling second-hand solar panels not only in the Kanto and Kansai regions but also throughout the country, as well as appropriate and advanced waste treatment.
Photo 2: Panoramic view of factory facilities
■Company profile
Company name: Hamada Co., Ltd.
Head office location: 2-24-5 Akutagawa-cho, Takatsuki City, Osaka 569-1123
Company establishment: 1973
Representative: Representative Director Atsusuke Hamada
URL : https://www.kkhamada.com/
ー For inquiries regarding this matter -
Company name: Hamada Co., Ltd. Name in charge: Tomohiro Hori
TEL: 0120-600-560 E-MAIL: hori@kkhamada.co.jp
